Where does “térmite” come from?

térmite (Portuguese) comes from Latin Termes, from Latin termes, from Latin tero, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.

térmite (Portuguese): termite white bodied, wood-consuming insect

Definitions

  1. termite white bodied, wood-consuming insect

Ancestry of “térmite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinTermesLerma a town in
2Latintermesa branch bough of a tree, one severed thence;...
3LatinteroI rub or triturate; I wear away or wear out; I...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →