bison

Where does the word "bison" come from? It comes from Greek bison, passing through Latin before entering English (1600s).

Bison’s story begins in Greek: bison meant “a wild ox.” A wild ox, likely borrowed from a Germanic or Thracian source. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as bison. Carried into Latin for the wild ox native to European forests. It reached English by 1600s as bison. Settled as the English word for the large shaggy-headed wild ox. Today, bison means a large, shaggy-headed wild ox native to North America and Europe.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient bison "a wild ox", a wild ox, likely borrowed from a Germanic or Thracian source.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient bison "a wild ox", carried into Latin for the wild ox native to European forests.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s bison "a large shaggy-headed wild ox", settled as the English word for the large shaggy-headed wild ox.