Where does “buffle” come from?
buffle (Old French) comes from Italian bufalo, from Vulgar Latin bufalus, from Latin būbalus, from Ancient Greek βούβαλος, from Ancient Greek βοῦς, from Latin corvus, from Proto-Italic korwos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱorh₂wós — army.
Ancestry of “buffle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | bufalo | buffalo |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | bufalus | — |
| 3 | Latin | būbalus | antelope, gazelle |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βούβαλος | A species of antelope, possibly the bubal... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βοῦς | cow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι... |
| 6 | Latin | corvus | A raven; a bird associated with prophecy and... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | korwos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂wós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |