Etymology Explorer › taxonomic name

Where does “Tupaia” come from?

Tupaia (taxonomic name) comes from Malay tupai, from Quechua tupay — meeting, encounter; fight, conflict; sparring.

Ancestry of “Tupaia”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaytupaisquirrel; tree shrew
2Quechuatupaymeeting, encounter; fight, conflict; sparring
Every word from Quechua tupay →