Where does “specimens” come from?
specimens (English) comes from English specimen, from Latin specimen, from Latin speciō, from Proto-Italic spekjō, from Proto-Indo-European spéḱyeti, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.
specimens (English): plural of specimen
Ancestry of “specimens”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | specimen | An individual instance that represents a class;... |
| 2 | Latin | specimen | mark, token, sign, indication; example, pattern,... |
| 3 | Latin | speciō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | spekjō | to observe, to see |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |