Where does “porcupine” come from?
Porcupine derives from Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European perḱ-.
porcupine (English): Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic...
Definitions
- Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic...
Ancestry of “porcupine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | porke despyne | — |
| 2 | Old French | porc-espin | — |
| 3 | Latin | porcus | a piglet, a young pig; a pig, hog; Short for... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | porkos | pig |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pórḱos | piglet |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | perḱ- | colored; motley; to open, rip up |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |