Etymology Map
Back to all words

Gerbil

4 stages from Arabic to English.

Today it means a small burrowing desert rodent with long hind legs, often kept as a pet

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

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