Where does “zebrafish” come from?
Zebrafish derives from English zebra and English fish, combining Italian zebra with Proto-Germanic fiskōną, itself from Proto-Indo-European pisḱ-.
zebrafish (English): A small striped fish, "Danio rerio", originally...
Definitions
- A small striped fish, "Danio rerio", originally...
Ancestry of “zebrafish”, step by step
zebrafish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English zebra
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | zebra | Any of three species of genus "Equus": "E.... |
| 2 | Italian | zebra | zebra; zebra crossing |
| 3 | Portuguese | zebra | zebra |
| 4 | Old Portuguese | enzebro | — |
| 5 | Old Portuguese | cebrario | — |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | eciferus | fool, wild ass, donkey; wild horse |
| 7 | Latin | equiferus | wild horse |
| 8 | Latin | equus | a horse; a steed, charger |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | ekwos | horse |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éḱwos | stallion, horse |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁oh₁ḱu- | swift |
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |