1
Stage 1 of 6
zabad
Arabic · medieval
"civet, musky secretion"
possibly a folk-adapted African name; related to words for foam and cream
2
Stage 2 of 6
zapetion
Medieval Greek · medieval
"civet"
carried the word into Byzantine trade vocabulary
3
Stage 3 of 6
zibethum
Medieval Latin · medieval
"civet"
adapted for European scholarly and trade texts
4
Stage 4 of 6
zibetto
Italian · 1400s
"civet cat"
shifted through Italian trading ports
5
Stage 5 of 6
civette
French · 1400s
"civet"
reached France via the perfume trade
6
Stage 6 of 6
civet
English · 1530s
"civet cat / perfume ingredient"
named both the cat-like animal and, by the 1550s, the musky perfume ingredient from its glands
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