Where does “buffalo” come from?
Buffalo comes from Spanish búfalo, from Late Latin bufalus, from Latin bubalus, from Ancient Greek βούβαλος, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷōws meaning cow.
buffalo (English): Any of the Old World mammals of the family...
Definitions
- Any of the Old World mammals of the family...
Ancestry of “buffalo”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | búfalo | buffalo; buffalo, the American bison |
| 2 | Latin | būfalus | — |
| 3 | Latin | būbalus | antelope, gazelle |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βούβαλος | A species of antelope, possibly the bubal... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βοῦς | cow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι... |
| 6 | Latin | corvus | A raven; a bird associated with prophecy and... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | korwos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂wós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |