Where does “elephant” come from?
Elephant comes from Middle English elefant, from Old French olifant, from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας, from Mycenaean Greek 𐀁𐀩𐀞.
elephant (English): A mammal of the order Proboscidea, having a...
Definitions
- A mammal of the order Proboscidea, having a...
Ancestry of “elephant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -esque | In the style or manner of; Resembling |
| 2 | French | -esque | esque |
| 3 | Italian | -esco | Forms adjectives that indicate relationship,... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | -iscus | -ish |
| 5 | Latin | -ensis | Of or from |
| 6 | Latin | arvum | field; farm land |
| 7 | Latin | colō | to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden |
| 8 | Latin | quelō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kʷelō | to inhabit |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷéleti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |