Buzz
The names of these animals, both large and small, perfectly align with their physical traits.
1. Porpoise, "pig fish"
The term porpoise originates from the Latin 'porcopiscis', a blend of porcus (pig) and piscis (fish). A round body and flat nose—seems fitting.
2. Aardvark, "earth pig"
If you're uncertain about an animal, just call it a pig. The Afrikaans word 'aardvark,' a derivative of Dutch, comes from aarde (earth) + varken (pig). Guess it’s the nose and pink skin that gave it away.
3. Porcupine, "thorny pig"
Pig seems to be the go-to label. The word porcupine comes from the Middle French porc (pig) + espin (from Latin spina, thorn). A thorny, spiky pig. Well, it’s rounded...
4. Hippopotamus, "river horse"
This one comes from the Greek hippos (horse) + potamos (river). It enjoys lounging in rivers, and while the Greeks might have been exaggerating by calling it a horse, at least they didn’t name it porcopotamus.
5. Rhinoceros, "nose horn"
Derived from the Greek rhino- (nose) and keras (horn, related to "keratin"). The horn on its nose is definitely the most striking characteristic of this creature. Cheers to straightforward naming.
6. Octopus, "eight feet"
The Greek octo- means eight, as in octagon. Pus (or pous) means foot, though we’re more familiar with it in its combining form 'pod' in words like podiatrist and tripod.
7. Orangutan, "man of the forest"
The term originates from the Malay orang (person) + hutan (forest), translating to "person of the forest." While locals didn’t originally call these animals orangutans, Europeans linked the phrase with the orange, furry primates. Today, the Malay word orang utan refers to orangutans, in addition to the native word mawas.
8. Squirrel, "shade tail"
Squirrel comes from Medieval Latin scurellus, a diminutive of scurius, which traces back to the Greek skia (shade) + oura (tail). Squirrels use their tails to block out the sun, often holding them up like little, fluffy umbrellas.
9. Chameleon, "dwarf lion"
This comes from the Greek chamai (ground) + leon (lion). Chamai can also mean dwarf, or "low to the ground," so a chameleon is essentially a dwarf lion. It’s unclear whether the lion reference comes from the chameleon’s mane-like head shape or its cool, regal demeanor.
10. Armadillo, "little armored one"
The armadillo is best known for its tough, spiky armor. We borrowed the name from Spanish, where armado means armed. Armadillo is a diminutive form of armado—so it literally means ‘little armed one.’
11. Flamingo, "flaming, flame-colored"
The Latin flamma (flame) passed down its flam- root to many words in Romance languages related to fire. Flamingo emerged from the Provençal dialect, which often mixed Latin roots (flam) with Germanic suffixes (–ing). The flamingo is indeed flaming or flame-colored. The Provençal ending –enc evolved into the Spanish word flamenco, now used for both the bird and the dance.
12. Ferret, "little thief"
The word ferret comes from the Latin fur, meaning thief. It acquired the diminutive -et in French (or -etto in Italian), which results in the name ‘little thief.’ This seems fitting, especially after watching the video titled "Ferrets Stealing Stuff Compilation 2013."
All images courtesy of Thinkstock.
