Where does “penguin” come from?

Penguin is a Welsh word of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle Welsh penn, Proto-Celtic windos, Proto-Celtic kʷennom, and Proto-Indo-European weyd-.

penguin (English): Any of several flightless sea birds, of order...

Definitions

  1. Any of several flightless sea birds, of order...

Ancestry of “penguin”, step by step

penguin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Welsh gwyn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Welshgwynwhite; blessed
2Proto-Brythonicgwɨnnwhite
3Proto-Celticwindoswhite
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwindo-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

via Latin pinguis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpinguisfat, plump; thick, dense; dull, insipid, not...
2Proto-Indo-EuropeanpeyH-fat, milk

Words derived from “penguin”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →
penguin — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer