Where does “nautilus” come from?
Nautilus comes from Latin nautilus, from Ancient Greek ναυτίλος, derived from ναύτης meaning sailor, itself formed from the root ναύ- and the agent suffix -της.
nautilus (English): A marine mollusc, of the family Nautilidae native...
Definitions
- A marine mollusc, of the family Nautilidae native...
Ancestry of “nautilus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | nautilus | paper nautilus, argonaut |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ναυτίλος | seaman, sailor; paper nautilus |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ναύτης | sailor, seaman; companion at sea |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πεῖρα | trial, experiment, attempt |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |