carnivore

Where does the word "carnivore" come from? It comes from Latin caro, and was adopted directly into English (1830s).

Carnivore’s story begins in Latin: caro meant “flesh, meat.” Flesh, meat, combined with vorare (to devour). It reached English by 1830s as carnivore. The order Carnivora was named by the zoologist Bowdich in 1821. Today, carnivore means an animal that feeds primarily on the flesh of other animals.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient caro "flesh, meat", flesh, meat, combined with vorare (to devour).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1830s carnivore "an animal that primarily eats meat", the order Carnivora was named by the zoologist Bowdich in 1821.