Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chevrotain” come from?

chevrotain (English) comes from French chevrotain, from French chèvre, from Middle French chevre, from Old French chievre, from Latin capra, from Latin caper, from Proto-Italic *kapros, from Proto-Indo-European kápros — he-goat, billy goat.

chevrotain (English): Any of several small hornless ruminants, of the...

Definitions

  1. Any of several small hornless ruminants, of the...

Ancestry of “chevrotain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchchevrotainlittle goat
2Frenchchèvrea she-goat; goat cheese , goat's cheese
3Middle Frenchchevregoat
4Old Frenchchievregoat
5Latincapraa she-goat; the odor of armpits; vocative...
6Latincapera male goat, billy goat; vocative singular of...
7Proto-Italic*kapros—
8Proto-Indo-Europeankáproshe-goat, billy goat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kápros →