Where does “unicorn” come from?
Unicorn comes from Middle English unicorne, from Old French unicorne, from Latin unicornis, composed of Latin cornu meaning "horn" and Latin -a, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰreu.
unicorn (English): A mythical beast resembling a horse or deer with...
Definitions
- A mythical beast resembling a horse or deer with...
Ancestry of “unicorn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | unicorne | unicorn; Any one-horned beast; anger, rage, fury,... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | unicorne | unicorn |
| 3 | Latin | ūnicornis | One-horned |
| 4 | Latin | ūni- | one; uni |
| 5 | Latin | ūnus | one, single |
| 6 | Old Latin | oinos | one |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | oinos | cardinal number 1 Previous: n/a Next: *duō;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | óynos | one; single |