Where does “mollusc” come from?

Mollusc comes from French mollusque, from New Latin Mollusca, from Latin molluscus meaning soft, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mel- meaning soft or weak.

mollusc (English): A soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum...

Definitions

  1. A soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum...

Ancestry of “mollusc”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmollusquemollusc
2New LatinMollusca—
3Latinmolluscussoft
4Latinmollissoft, delicate to the touch; pliant, flexible,...
5Latinmolduis—
6Proto-Italicmoldus—
7Proto-Indo-European*ml̥dussoft, weak
8Proto-Indo-European(s)meld-to soften, to melt

Words derived from “mollusc”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- →
mollusc — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer