Etymology Explorer › Medieval Latin

Where does “oesophagus” come from?

oesophagus (Medieval Latin) comes from Ancient Greek οἰσοφάγος, from Ancient Greek οἰσέμεν, from Ancient Greek φέρω, from Proto-Hellenic pʰérō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰéreti, from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- — shiny, light brown.

Ancestry of “oesophagus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekοἰσοφάγοςoesophagus, gullet
2Ancient Greekοἰσέμεν—
3Ancient GreekφέρωI bring, bear, carry
4Proto-Hellenicpʰérōto bear
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéretito be carrying
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown

Words derived from “oesophagus”

  • esófago
  • esofágico
  • esófago
  • esofágico
  • esófago
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- →