Where does “cetacean” come from?

Cetacean comes from Latin cetacea, from Latin cetus, from Ancient Greek κῆτος, meaning a large sea monster or whale.

cetacean (English): Pertaining to the zoologic order Cetacea, or...

Definitions

  1. Pertaining to the zoologic order Cetacea, or...

Ancestry of “cetacean”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1TranslingualCetaceaCetaceans whales, porpoises and dolphins, with multiple taxonomic treatments
2LatincētusAny large sea-animal, such as a whale, shark, seal, dogfish, dolphin, or tuna, or a sea monster
3Ancient Greekκῆτοςwhale, sea monster; abyss

Words derived from “cetacean”

Every word from Ancient Greek κῆτος →Every word from Latin cētus →Every word from Translingual Cetacea →