gerbil

Where does the word "gerbil" come from? It comes from Arabic yarbu' / jarbu, passing through Modern Latin and French before entering English (1849).

Gerbil’s story begins in Arabic: yarbu' / jarbu meant “desert jumping rodent.” The desert rodent's name, literally "flesh of the loins". By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Modern Latin as Gerbillus. Naturalists Latinized the Arabic name for the genus. From there it passed into French as gerbille by 1849. Adapted from the scientific Latin name. It reached English by 1849 as gerbil. Anglicized from French for the small desert rodent. Today, gerbil means a small burrowing desert rodent with long hind legs, often kept as a pet.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval yarbu' / jarbu "desert jumping rodent", the desert rodent's name, literally "flesh of the loins".
2. Stage 2 · Modern Latin · 1800s Gerbillus "scientific genus name", naturalists Latinized the Arabic name for the genus.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1849 gerbille "gerbil", adapted from the scientific Latin name.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1849 gerbil "small desert rodent", anglicized from French for the small desert rodent.