Where does “serval” come from?
serval (English) comes from French serval, from Portuguese cerval, from Latin cervarius, from Latin cervus, from Latin -a, from Proto-Italic -ā, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂.
serval (English): A medium-sized African wild cat, "Leptailurus...
Definitions
- A medium-sized African wild cat, "Leptailurus...
Ancestry of “serval”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | serval | serval |
| 2 | Portuguese | cerval | Iberian lynx |
| 3 | Latin | cervarius | of, pertaining to, or connected with deer |
| 4 | Latin | cervus | deer, stag; forked stakes; cheval de frise |
| 5 | Latin | -a | suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -ā | Forms masculine agent nouns from prefixed or compounded bases |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂ | — |