Where does “passerine” come from?
Passerine comes from Latin passerinus, formed with the diminutive suffix Latin -inus from Proto-Indo-European p(e)t-tro-, ultimately derived from the root Proto-Indo-European peth₂-.
passerine (English): Any bird of the order Passeriformes, which...
Definitions
- Any bird of the order Passeriformes, which...
Ancestry of “passerine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | passerinus | of or fit for a sparrow; sparrow-like |
| 2 | Latin | -īnus | of or pertaining to; -ine |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |