Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “canary” come from?

Canary comes from French canarie, from Spanish canario, from Latin Canariae insulae, islands named after their large dogs.

canary (English): A small, usually yellow, finch , a songbird...

Definitions

  1. A small, usually yellow, finch , a songbird...

Ancestry of “canary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcanarie—
2Spanishcanarioof, from or related to the Canary Islands; person...
3SpanishCanariasthe Canary Islands
4Latincanāria—

Words derived from “canary”

  • canarypox
  • canarylike
  • canarywood
Every word from Latin canāria →