Where does “termite” come from?

termite (French) comes from Latin termites, from Latin tarmes, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.

termite (French): termite white-bodied, wood-consuming insect

Definitions

  1. termite white-bodied, wood-consuming insect

Ancestry of “termite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintermitesnominative plural of termes; accusative plural of...
2Latintarmesa worm that eats wood; a woodworm
3Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “termite”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →