fauna

Where does the word "fauna" come from? It comes from Latin Fauna, and was adopted directly into English (1771).

Fauna’s story begins in Latin: Fauna meant “a Roman goddess of nature.” A Roman goddess of the earth, animals, and fertility. It reached English by 1771 as fauna. Linnaeus titled his 1746 catalogue of Swedish animals 'Fauna Suecica', after the Roman goddess Fauna. Today, fauna means the animal life characteristic of a particular region, habitat, or period.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient Fauna "a Roman goddess of nature", a Roman goddess of the earth, animals, and fertility.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1771 fauna "the animal life of a region or period", Linnaeus titled his 1746 catalogue of Swedish animals 'Fauna Suecica', after the Roman goddess Fauna.