Where does “chameleon” come from?
Chameleon comes from Middle English camelion, from Old French cameleon, from Latin chamaeleon, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων, a compound of χαμαί and ultimately Proto-Indo-European ǵʰm̥meh₂y.
chameleon (English): A small to mid-size reptile, of the family...
Definitions
- A small to mid-size reptile, of the family...
Ancestry of “chameleon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | camelion | — |
| 2 | Old French | cameleon | — |
| 3 | Latin | chamaeleon | chameleon; carline thistle |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | χαμαιλέων | chameleon; type of plant, so called because of... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | χαμαί | on the earth, near the ground; to the... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Χθών | the Earth, personified as a goddess |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéǵʰōm | earth |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ōm | emphatic suffix or postpositive particle |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -mi | — |