Where does “bison” come from?
Bison comes from Old French bison, from Latin bison, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wisAn-, a word of uncertain origin related to the root weys-.
bison (English): A wild ox, Bison bonasus; A similar North...
Definitions
- A wild ox, Bison bonasus; A similar North...
Ancestry of “bison”, step by step
bison traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English bisontes
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bisontes | — |
| 2 | Old French | bison | — |
| 3 | Latin | bisōn | bison (Bison bonasus) |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wisundaz | bison, wisent; wild ox, aurochs |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wisAn- | aurochs, aurochs horn |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weys- | to raise, increase; to produce, procreate |
via Middle English bison
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bison | — |