Where does “paraplegia” come from?
paraplegia (New Latin) comes from Ancient Greek παραπληγίη, from Ancient Greek παραπλήσσεσθαι, from Ancient Greek παρά, from Latin verēdus, from Gaulish werēdos, from Proto-Celtic *uɸoreidos — horse.
Ancestry of “paraplegia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | παραπληγίη | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | παραπλήσσεσθαι | to be stricken on one side |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | παρά | |
| 4 | Latin | verēdus | A fast or light breed of horse; courier's horse; hunter |
| 5 | Gaulish | werēdos | horse |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | *uɸoreidos | horse |