Where does “zoologist” come from?
Zoologist comes from English zoology plus the Latin suffix -ista, derived from Ancient Greek -ιστής, which derives from -ίζω, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots gʷeih₃w- and related forms.
zoologist (English): One who studies zoology
Definitions
- One who studies zoology
Ancestry of “zoologist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | zoology | The part of biology relating to the animal... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ζῷον | animal, beast; form, image |
| 3 | Proto-Hellenic | ďṓyyon | animal, creature, beast |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | gʷyōwyon | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷyeh₃w-y-om | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷíh₃weti | to live, to be alive |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |