porpoise
/ˈpɔːpəs/PAWR-puhs
/ˈpɔɹpəs/PAWR-puhs
Meaningpig fish
Common meaning: a small toothed whale ('pig-fish')
- pora pig, hogLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1399 · scan
- poisea fishLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1380 · scan
‘a pig, hog’ + ‘a fish’ → porpoise
Journey through time
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- por — Latin porcus, -ī “a pig, hog” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- poise — Latin piscis, -is “a fish” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin porcus ‘a pig, hog’ + Latin piscis ‘a fish’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry porcus, p. 1399 · dictionary scan
Roots
- piscis, -is Latin “a fish”
- porcus, -ī Latin “a pig, hog”
Related words
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