Where does “scorpion” come from?
scorpion (Romanian) comes from French scorpion, from Latin scorpio, from Ancient Greek σκορπίων, from Ancient Greek σκορπίος, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
scorpion (Romanian): scorpion
Ancestry of “scorpion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | scorpion | scorpion |
| 2 | Latin | scorpio | a scorpion; a kind of prickly sea fish, possibly... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | σκορπίων | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σκορπίος | scorpion; scorpionfish; scorpion furze |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |