Where does “tapir” come from?
Tapir comes from French tapir, borrowed from Old Tupi tapiira, which influenced Old French tapir, itself derived from Frankish tappijan and tappō, tracing back through Proto-Germanic tappô to Proto-Indo-European deh₂b- and deh₂-.
tapir (English): Any one of the species of large odd-toed...
Definitions
- Any one of the species of large odd-toed...
Ancestry of “tapir”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | tapir | to hide; tapir |
| 2 | Middle French | tapir | — |
| 3 | Old French | tapir | — |
| 4 | Frankish | tappijan | to close, shut in, lock up |
| 5 | Frankish | tappō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tappô | plug; tap |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂p- | to sacrifice; to lose |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |
Words derived from “tapir”