Where does “hippopotamus” come from?
Hippopotamus comes from Latin hippopotamus, from Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος, combining ἵππος horse and a root from Proto-Indo-European h₁éḱwos horse and h₁oh₁ḱu- river.
hippopotamus (English): A large, semi-aquatic, herbivorous African...
Definitions
- A large, semi-aquatic, herbivorous African...
Ancestry of “hippopotamus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | hippopotamus | a hippopotamus |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἱπποπόταμος | hippopotamus |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἵππος | a horse, a mare; cavalry, horsemen |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | íkkʷos | horse |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éḱwos | stallion, horse |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁oh₁ḱu- | swift |