Where does “reptile” come from?
reptile (Old French) comes from Late Latin reptile, from Latin reptilis, from Latin rēpō, from Proto-Italic rēpō, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁p- — to creep.
Ancestry of “reptile”, step by step
reptile traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Late Latin reptile
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | reptile | neuter nominative singular of rēptilis; neuter... |
| 2 | Latin | reptilis | creeping, crawling |
| 3 | Latin | rēpō | to creep, crawl |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | rēpō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁reh₁p- | to creep |
via Latin rēptile
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | rēptile | a reptile |