Where does “hippocampus” come from?
Hippocampus derives from Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος, combining ἵππος (horse) and a root related to Latin campus and ultimately Proto-Indo-European kamp-.
hippocampus (English): A mythological creature with the front head and...
Definitions
- A mythological creature with the front head and...
Ancestry of “hippocampus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | hippocampus | a seahorse |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἱππόκαμπος | monster with the body of a horse and the tail of... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κάμπος | sea monster; plain |
| 4 | Latin | campus | Open flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂emp- | to bend; crooked; to bend, curve |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |