Where does “bison” come from?
bison (Norman) comes from Middle French bison, from Latin bisōn, from Proto-Germanic wisundaz, from Proto-Indo-European wisAn-, from Proto-Indo-European weys- — to raise, increase; to produce, procreate.
bison (Norman): bison
Ancestry of “bison”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | bison | — |
| 2 | Latin | bisōn | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wisundaz | bison, wisent; wild ox, aurochs |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wisAn- | aurochs, aurochs horn |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weys- | to raise, increase; to produce, procreate |