Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “feline” come from?

Feline derives from Latin felinus, formed with the Latin diminutive suffix -inus from a root related to Proto-Indo-European bʰel- and bʰleh₃-.

feline (English): Of or pertaining to cats; catlike; A cat; member...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to cats; catlike; A cat; member...

Ancestry of “feline”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinfēlis—
2PortugueseOnça—
3LatinunciaThe twelfth part of something; twelfth; The...
4Old Frenchloncelynx
5Italianlonzaloin of pork; a term used in the Middle Ages to...
6Vulgar Latinluncea—
7LatinlynxA lynx
8Ancient Greekλύγξlynx; hiccup
9LatincanadensisCanadian
10Latin-ensisOf or from
11Latinarvumfield; farm land
12Latincolō—
13Latinquelō—
14Proto-Italickʷelō—
15Proto-Indo-Europeankʷéleti—
16Proto-Indo-Europeankʷel-to turn

Words derived from “feline”

  • felinely
  • felinity
  • felineness
  • unfeline
  • felinoid
  • nonfeline
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- →