gharial

Where does the word "gharial" come from? It comes from Sanskrit ghata, passing through Hindi before entering English (1815-25).

Gharial’s story begins in Sanskrit: ghata meant “an earthenware pot.” Meant 'pot, jar'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as ghariyal. Named the crocodile whose male snout bears a pot-shaped growth. It reached English by 1815-25 as gharial. Entered English via French naturalist writing on the Indian crocodilian. Today, gharial means a critically endangered, long-snouted crocodilian native to river systems of the Indian subcontinent.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient ghata "an earthenware pot", meant 'pot, jar'.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval ghariyal "the long-snouted crocodile with a pot-shaped nose knob", named the crocodile whose male snout bears a pot-shaped growth.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1815-25 gharial "a long, thin-snouted fish-eating crocodile native to the Indian subcontinent", entered English via French naturalist writing on the Indian crocodilian.