Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “herpetofauna” come from?

herpetofauna (English) comes from English Fauna, from Latin Faunus, from New Latin fauna, from English avifauna, from Latin avis, from Proto-Italic awis, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwis — bird.

herpetofauna (English): Reptiles and amphibians as a group, especially...

Definitions

  1. Reptiles and amphibians as a group, especially...

Ancestry of “herpetofauna”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFauna—
2LatinFaunusFaunus
3New Latinfaunaanimals
4EnglishavifaunaThe birds, or all the kinds of birds, inhabiting...
5Latinavisa bird; omen, portent; dative/ablative plural of...
6Proto-Italicawisbird
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éwisbird
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwis →