Where does “boia” come from?
boia (Guinea-Bissau Creole) comes from Portuguese boiar, from Portuguese bóia, from Old French buie, from Latin boia, from Ancient Greek βοείη, from Ancient Greek βοῦς, from Latin corvus, from Proto-Italic korwos — army.
boia (Guinea-Bissau Creole): to float
Ancestry of “boia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | boiar | to float; to waft; to drown |
| 2 | Portuguese | bóia | Superseded spelling of boia |
| 3 | Old French | buie | fetter, chain |
| 4 | Latin | boia | fetter, collar for the neck |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βοείη | ox hide |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βοῦς | cow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι... |
| 7 | Latin | corvus | A raven; a bird associated with prophecy and... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | korwos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂wós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |