Where does “китоглав” come from?

китоглав (Russian) comes from Russian кит, from Old Church Slavonic китъ, from Ancient Greek κῆτος — whale, sea monster; abyss.

китоглав (Russian): shoebill

Definitions

  1. shoebill

Ancestry of “китоглав”, step by step

китоглав traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Russian кит

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianкитwhale; genitive plural of ки́та
2Old Church Slavonicкитъwhale
3Ancient Greekκῆτοςwhale, sea monster; abyss

via Russian глава́

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianглава́head, top, summit
2Old East Slavicглаваhead
3Church Slavonicглава—
Every word from Ancient Greek κῆτος →Every word from Old Church Slavonic китъ →Every word from Russian кит →
китоглав — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer