We all have heard what is an etymology as its a branch of how a word is formed from different words of either same or different languages. Every word has its own etymology and names of animals are no exception. Not all of them are, but a few best ones are mentioned in this post.
Hippopotamus (hippo) is an ideal example as it is derived from Greek language which means a river horse. True, hippos inhabit rivers and lakes but their heads resemble almost a little similar as it enabled them to get their name.
Similarly, a word for another bulky pachyderm (thick-skinned) whose name can be shortened i.e. rhinoceros (rhino) also gets its derivation from Greek language which means 'nose-horn'.
Tallest beast, giraffe also has an interesting etymology as it is derived from Arabic word 'zirafoh' which means 'something with a long neck'.
Two spotted big cats do have an interesting etymology. Leopard is made by combining two words 'leo'(lion) and 'pard' (panther)which refers a mix of a lion and a panther. But, its larger spotted brother, the jaguar is derived from 'yaguar' which means 'someone who kills in a single leap' i.e. this large wild cat kills its prey by piercing its prey's skull by ambush (by surprise) rather than biting the throat with its razor sharp teeth.
Lastly, the largest deer species, the moose again derives its name from some American Indian language which means 'a twig-eater' or 'someone who strips the barks of young trees'.
Hippopotamus (hippo) is an ideal example as it is derived from Greek language which means a river horse. True, hippos inhabit rivers and lakes but their heads resemble almost a little similar as it enabled them to get their name.
Similarly, a word for another bulky pachyderm (thick-skinned) whose name can be shortened i.e. rhinoceros (rhino) also gets its derivation from Greek language which means 'nose-horn'.
Tallest beast, giraffe also has an interesting etymology as it is derived from Arabic word 'zirafoh' which means 'something with a long neck'.
Two spotted big cats do have an interesting etymology. Leopard is made by combining two words 'leo'(lion) and 'pard' (panther)which refers a mix of a lion and a panther. But, its larger spotted brother, the jaguar is derived from 'yaguar' which means 'someone who kills in a single leap' i.e. this large wild cat kills its prey by piercing its prey's skull by ambush (by surprise) rather than biting the throat with its razor sharp teeth.
Lastly, the largest deer species, the moose again derives its name from some American Indian language which means 'a twig-eater' or 'someone who strips the barks of young trees'.
I read this blog in Sir David Attenborough's accent.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get what you said about Sir David Attenborough's accent?
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