Where does “fauna” come from?

fauna (Latin) comes from Latin Faunus, from New Latin fauna, from English avifauna, from Latin avis, from Proto-Italic awis, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwis — bird.

fauna (Latin): Roman goddess

Definitions

  1. Roman goddess

Ancestry of “fauna”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinFaunusFaunus horned god of the forest, plains and fields
2New Latinfaunaanimals
3EnglishavifaunaThe birds, or all the kinds of birds, inhabiting...
4Latinavisa bird; omen, portent; dative/ablative plural of...
5Proto-Italicawisbird
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éwisbird

Words derived from “fauna

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwis
fauna — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer