Where does “macrolepidopteran” come from?

macrolepidopteran (English) comes from English macro, from English macro-, from French macro-, from Latin macro-, from Ancient Greek μακρός, from Proto-Italic makros, from Proto-Indo-European mh₂ḱrós, from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ḱ- — to raise, increase; long.

macrolepidopteran (English): Any relatively large butterfly or moth

Definitions

  1. Any relatively large butterfly or moth

Ancestry of “macrolepidopteran”, step by step

macrolepidopteran traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English macro

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmacroVery large in scope or scale; Clipping of...
2Englishmacro-large; long; inclusive
3Frenchmacro-macro
4Latinmacro-large
5Ancient Greekμακρόςlong; tall, deep; far, distant
6Proto-Italicmakros
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmh₂ḱróslean, meager
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₂ḱ-to raise, increase; long

via English lepidopteran

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlepidopteranAny insect of the order Lepidoptera, the...
2TranslingualLepidopteraorder
3Ancient Greekλεπίςscale, flake, shell, husk; epithelial debris;...
4Ancient Greekλέπωpeel, strip off the rind or husk
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ḱ-Every word from English macro-Every word from English macro