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This is a clear case of a widespread root featuring a fascinating variety of phonetic changes. Words like ovo, ei, ou, kek, and jaje all mean "egg" and trace their origins back to the Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm. mapologies.com/animal-product

What do the Danish and Swedish word stork mean? Exactly what you'd think: they share the Proto-Indo-European root *srgos. But this ancient root didn't just stay in the Germanic family—it also survives today as the Latvian stārķis and the Macedonian штрк (štrk). mapologies.com/birds/

A clipping is a shortening of a word: for example, hippo from hippopotamus. The longer comes from Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos): Formed by ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) and ποταμός (potamós, “river”). You can also help with our maps by buying us a coffee! ko-fi.com/mapologies

When we used to study Latin, the word lana did not immediately ring a bell. What did it mean? lane, land or lens? No—it actually meant wool. It feels similar to other distinct pairs like the miel & honey, or lac & milk, right? Well, no... mapologies.com/animal-product

On July 13th a country celebrated its independance: Crna Gora (Црна Гора), which means “Black Mountain”, is a country known in English as #Montenegro, a Venetian name. In English, the meaning isn’t obvious, but in Spanish it is. #crnagora mapologies.com/national-nam...

In English bull, German Bulle Latvian bullis derive from the Proto‑Germanic root *bulô, which is cognate with *balluz “ball”. Where does this connection come from? Put simply and politely: what you’d see between a bull’s legs. Read more here: mapologies.com/animals/

mapologies.com/cooking/ Dessert is an international word you’ll find across many languages and it’s shared in meaning even when the food itself varies. Like many culinary terms, its roots trace back to French. The verb desservir referred to something like the removal of plates after a meal.

In the East, Slavic languages share a common root, Proto-Slavic *žaba, with the notable exception of Russian: The term ljaguska (лягушка) is derived from the verb ljgat (лягать), which means "to lick." Some ideas? mapologies.com/herpetology/ #etymology #etymologymap #languagemap

mapologies.com/time/ #German “Sommer” and #Kurdish “havîn,” despite their different appearances, both stem from the Proto-Indo-European root *semh₂-, meaning “summer” or “half of the #year.” #etymology #etymologymap #map #laguagemap #linguisticmap

Honey has an interesting distribution of etymological roots across languages. Serbian med is not etymologically connected to Portuguese mel, despite their apparent similarity, but it is distantly related to Turkish bal. mapologies.com/animal-produ...

@hareldan.bsky.social You asked for it. Now deal with it: There are four main groups of etymological roots for “badger,” all sharing a common idea, the animal as a digger and burrow-builder. In the East: Proto‑Slavic root *jàzvьcь and in the West: Proto‑Germanic *þahsuz. mapologies.com/animals/

mapologies.com/roots/ Horseradish is a type of radish, with spicy flavour and eaten by horses. However this is simply partly true — the only accurate part is its strong taste. It also belongs to the Brassicaceae family (along with cabbage, mustard and, yes, radish).

A #fruit is the mature ovary of a flowering #plant and plays a crucial role in spreading the plant’s seeds. It forms after the flower is fertilized. mapologies.com/fruits/ #etymogy #etymologymap #map #mapologies #mapologic #language #languagemap #botanic

Counting sheep... More maps on our blog: mapologies.com/animals/ #animal #etymology #etymologymap #mapologies #map #sheep #ewe #ram

New map! New section! How do you say "snake" in your language? mapologies.com/herpetology/ #etymology #map #etymlogymap #reptile #langugae #history #lingusiticmap #languagemap #mapologies #etymologic

Cow is related to Icelandic kýr and Swedish ko. These words are also connected to a surprising group of words across other Indo‑European branches thought to derive from a common Proto‑Indo‑European root, *gʷṓws, for example Irish bó, Latvian govs, and Armenian  կով (kov). mapologies.com/animals/

Last map has ants in its pants mapologies.com/bugs/ #insects #map #mapologies #etymology #etymologymap #ant #ants #languagemap From the Galician formiga to the Romanian furnică, and from Greek myrmígk to Finnish muurahainen. Surprising, huh? The Proto-Indo-European *mórwis.

#Turtles and #tortoises share the same #etymological root: Ancient #Greek ταρταροῦχος (tartaroûkhos), “holder of Tartaros”. It was belived that they originated from the underworld, thought to be the resting place of the dead, meaning “the land of the dead, #hell.” mapologies.com/herpetology/

French "Pâques" was borrowed from the Aramaic פסחא (Paskha). It originally referred to the Jewish festival of Passover. Later, Paul the Apostle reinterpreted the term to refer to Christ, highlighting the connection between Jesus’ resurrection and the themes of salvation. mapologies.com/celebrate/

The first group is Germanic-derived, giving English, German and Swedish "dill". This root also appears in some non‑Germanic languages, for example Latvian dilles. mapologies.com/herbs/

mapologies.com/time/#Spring English, among them, employs “spring”, the when vegetation begins to “spring” forth, or emerge. Before its adoption in English, the word was “Lent”, Dutch Lente, from Proto-West Germanic *langatīn, literally “longer day” in reference to the lengthening of daylight.

Hares and rabbits are not that easy to distinguish: Do you know the difference? mapologies.com/animals/

Although now a staple of several European cultures, the potato is not a native plant; it was introduced as patata by the Spanish in the second half of the 16th century after the arrival in the Americas, borrowed from the Taíno word batata "sweet potato". Continue reading here: mapologies.com/roots/

Just as bathtub is derived from the word bath, in Spanish, we have baño, which has given rise to two terms: bañera and bañadera (the latter being more commonly used in Argentina). Additionally, tina can be translated as vat, jar, or bucket, but it can also mean bathtub. mapologies.com/el-atlas/

It can have many names: Menta, Minze, Menthe, Mjata, but all of them refer to Mint, originated from Greek: μίνθη (mínthē). We can find other names on the map: Turkish nane, Macedonian нана (nana) or Arabian نَعْنَاع (naʕnāʕ) shared the same root: Hurrian *an-an-uḫḫə mapologies.com/herbs/

Pastinaca sativa is the scientific name for parsnip. This term is widely recognized across different languages. Both the common name and the scientific designation trace their origins back to the Latin word pastinaca, which itself is derived from pastinum. mapologies.com/roots #Parsnip

The etymology of Rabbit can be traced to dialectal Old French rabotte, maybe the verb to rub. In Europe originated from lepus and cuniculus. They appear to have been borrowed from an unknown language, likely originating from the Iberian Peninsula, though much about this source remains a mystery.

The #idiom “to kill two #birds with one stone” exists in other languages with a rich variety of different #animals: #rabbits and #hares, #flies, #pigeons, and #sparrows. Does an alternative exist in your language? Tell us in the comments. mapologies.com/two-birds-on...

Lavender originated in the Latin lavandula, which may have developed from lividus (“bluish”), referring to the plant’s color, but it was later reshaped under the influence of the verb lavo (“to wash”) because lavender was widely used for bathing. mapologies.com/FLOWERS/ #saintvalentine #flower