Where does “ambystome” come from?
ambystome (French) comes from Translingual Ambystoma, from Ancient Greek ἀμβλύς, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.
ambystome (French): mole salamander
Ancestry of “ambystome”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Translingual | Ambystoma | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἀμβλύς | dull, blunt, not sharp |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | *ml̥dus | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |