Where does “merganser” come from?

merganser (Latin) comes from Latin mergus, from Latin mergō, from Proto-Indo-European *mésgeti, from Proto-Indo-European mesg- — to dip, sink.

Ancestry of “merganser”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmergusdiver (loon), a kind of waterfowl
2Latinmergōto dip (in), immerse; plunge into water; drown
3Proto-Indo-European*mésgetito sink
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmesg-to dip, sink
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mesg- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European *mésgeti →Every word from Latin mergō →
merganser — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer