Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “Myctophidae” come from?

Myctophidae (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek μυκτήρ, from Ancient Greek μύσσομαι, from Proto-Indo-European mew-k- — slimy, slippery; slip, slime.

Ancestry of “Myctophidae”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekμυκτήρnostril; nozzle of a lamp; elephant's trunk
2Ancient Greekμύσσομαιto blow the nose; to snort, blow one's nose; I...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmew-k-slimy, slippery; slip, slime

Words derived from “Myctophidae”

  • myctophid
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mew-k- →