Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “herpetology” come from?

herpetology (English) comes from French herpétologie, from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν, from Ancient Greek ἕρπω, from Proto-Indo-European *sérpeti.

herpetology (English): The branch of biology dealing with reptiles and...

Definitions

  1. The branch of biology dealing with reptiles and...

Ancestry of “herpetology”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchherpétologieherpetology
2Ancient GreekἑρπετόνAny animal which walks on four legs; creeping...
3Ancient Greekἕρπωto move slowly, walk; crawl, creep, slink; I go...
4Proto-Indo-European*sérpeti—

Words derived from “herpetology”

  • herpetological
  • herptile
  • herpetologically
  • palaeoherpetological
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *sérpeti →