Where does “зверёк” come from?

зверёк (Russian) comes from Russian зверь, from Old East Slavic звѣрь, from Proto-Slavic zvěrь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic źwēˀrís, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwer- — wild; wild animal.

зверёк (Russian): small beast

Definitions

small beast

Ancestry of “зверёк”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Russian	зверь	animal, beast; brute; mammal
2	Old East Slavic	звѣрь	wild animal
3	Proto-Slavic	zvěrь	wild animal, beast
4	Proto-Balto-Slavic	źwēˀrís	wild animal, beast
5	Proto-Indo-European	ǵʰwer-	wild; wild animal

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwer- →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic źwēˀrís →Every word from Proto-Slavic zvěrь →