Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “scorpiō” come from?

scorpiō (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek σκορπίος, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

Ancestry of “scorpiō”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekσκορπίοςscorpion; scorpionfish; scorpion furze
2Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
3Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →