Where does “onager” come from?
onager (English) comes from Middle English onager, from Anglo-Norman onager, from Middle French onager, from Old French onager, from Late Latin onager, from Latin onager, from Ancient Greek ὄναγρος, from Ancient Greek Ἄγριος — field, pasturage.
onager (English): The Asiatic wild ass or hemione (Equus hemionus), an animal of the horse family native to Asia; specifically, the Persian onager, Persian wild ass, or Persian zebra (Equus hemionus onager)
Definitions
- The Asiatic wild ass or hemione (Equus hemionus), an animal of the horse family native to Asia; specifically, the Persian onager, Persian wild ass, or Persian zebra (Equus hemionus onager)
Ancestry of “onager”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | onager | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | onager | onager |
| 3 | Middle French | onager | — |
| 4 | Old French | onager | onager |
| 5 | Late Latin | onager | large siege engine; wild ass; onager; onager |
| 6 | Latin | onager | wild ass; onager; onager |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὄναγρος | onager, wild ass; kind of catapult |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Ἄγριος | living in the open fields |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵr̥yos | campestral, field attributive, of or relating to fields |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵros | field, pasturage |