Where does “rockhopper” come from?

rockhopper (English) comes from English Hopper, from Middle English hoppere, from Old English hoppa, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō — he, she.

rockhopper (English): The rockhopper penguin; Any of the jumping...

Definitions

  1. The rockhopper penguin; Any of the jumping...

Ancestry of “rockhopper”, step by step

rockhopper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Hopper

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHopperOne who or that which hops
2Middle Englishhoppere
3Old Englishhoppaone who hops, hopper; hopper
4English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
5Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
6Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
7Latin-ārefirst conjugation
8Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
12Chichewaiyehe, she

via English Rock

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRockfor someone living near a rock or an oak (atter + oke)
2Englishrock and rollA genre of popular music that evolved in the...
3EnglishandAs a coordinating conjunction; expressing two...
4Middle EnglishanAlternative form of in; Alternative form of and;...
5Old Englishondand
6Old Englishandand; even; also
7Proto-Germanicandiin addition, furthermore, and
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Chichewa iye