Where does “Homo sapiens” come from?

Homo sapiens (Latin) comes from Latin homō, from Old Latin hemō, from Proto-Italic hemō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰmṓ, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm, from Proto-Indo-European -ōm, from Proto-Indo-European -mi.

Homo sapiens (Latin): modern human

Definitions

  1. modern human

Ancestry of “Homo sapiens”, step by step

Homo sapiens traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin homō

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinhomōhuman, person, man
2Old Latinhemō—
3Proto-Italichemōman
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰmṓearthling
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰéǵʰōmearth
6Proto-Indo-European-ōmemphatic suffix or postpositive particle
7Proto-Indo-European-mi—

via Latin sapiēns

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsapiēnsdiscerning, wise, judicious
2Latinsapiōto be wise, or sensible, discreet, prudent
3Proto-Indo-Europeansap-skill; to taste; to try; to research
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mi →Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ōm →Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm →