Where does “zebra” come from?
Zebra comes from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, from Old Portuguese zebro, from Latin equiferus, meaning wild horse, ultimately from Latin equus, meaning horse.
zebra (English): Any of three species of genus "Equus": "E....
Definitions
- Any of three species of genus "Equus": "E....
Ancestry of “zebra”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | zebra | zebra; zebra crossing |
| 2 | Portuguese | zebra | zebra |
| 3 | Old Portuguese | enzebro | — |
| 4 | Old Portuguese | cebrario | — |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | eciferus | fool, wild ass, donkey; wild horse |
| 6 | Latin | equiferus | wild horse |
| 7 | Latin | equus | a horse; a steed, charger |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | ekwos | horse |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éḱwos | stallion, horse |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁oh₁ḱu- | swift |