Where does “mastodonte” come from?
mastodonte (Portuguese) comes from Portuguese -odonte, from Ancient Greek ὀδούς, from Proto-Hellenic odónts, from Proto-Indo-European h₃dónts, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- — to eat.
mastodonte (Portuguese): mastodon
Ancestry of “mastodonte”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | -odonte | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ὀδούς | A tooth, tusk; anything pointed: spike, prong;... |
| 3 | Proto-Hellenic | odónts | tooth |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃dónts | tooth |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ed- | to eat |