Where does “зебра” come from?
зебра (Russian) comes from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, from Old Portuguese enzebro, from Old Portuguese cebrario, from Vulgar Latin eciferus, from Latin equiferus, from Latin equus, from Proto-Italic ekwos — swift.
зебра (Russian): zebra
Definitions
- zebra
Ancestry of “зебра”, step by step
зебра traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian zebra
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | zebra | zebra; zebra crossing |
| 2 | Portuguese | zebra | zebra |
| 3 | Old Portuguese | enzebro | — |
| 4 | Old Portuguese | cebrario | — |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | eciferus | fool, wild ass, donkey; wild horse |
| 6 | Latin | equiferus | wild horse |
| 7 | Latin | equus | a horse; a steed, charger |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | ekwos | horse |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éḱwos | stallion, horse |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁oh₁ḱu- | swift |
via French zèbre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | zèbre | zebra; guy, chap; first-person singular present... |