Where does “skunk” come from?

skunk (Swedish) comes from English skunk, from Abenaki segôgw, from Proto-Algonquian šeka·kwa, from Proto-Algonquian šek- — to urinate.

skunk (Swedish): a skunk

Definitions

  1. a skunk

Ancestry of “skunk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishskunkAny of various small mammals, of the family...
2Abenakisegôgwskunk
3Proto-Algonquianšeka·kwaskunk
4Proto-Algonquianšek-to urinate
Every word from Proto-Algonquian šek- →