Where does “軟体動物” come from?

軟体動物 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 体, from Middle Chinese 體.

軟体動物 (Japanese): a mollusc

Definitions

  1. a mollusc

Ancestry of “軟体動物”, step by step

軟体動物 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 体

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese体In general: the body, e.g. of a human or animal;...
2Middle Chinese體—

via Japanese 動物

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese動物animal
2Middle Chinese動物—

via Japanese 軟

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese軟soft
Every word from Middle Chinese 體 →Every word from Japanese 体 →