Etymology Explorer › Koine Greek

Where does “πτέρνα” come from?

πτέρνα (Koine Greek) comes from Ancient Greek πτέρνη, from Proto-Indo-European tpḗrsneh₂, from Proto-Indo-European sperH- — to kick.

Ancestry of “πτέρνα”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekπτέρνηheel; hoof; heel of a shoe
2Proto-Indo-Europeantpḗrsneh₂heel, upper thigh
3Proto-Indo-EuropeansperH-to kick
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sperH- →