gorilla

Where does the word "gorilla" come from? It comes from Ancient Greek Gorillai, and was adopted directly into English (1847).

Gorilla’s story begins in Ancient Greek: Gorillai meant “a tribe of hairy people.” From an account of Hanno the Navigator describing hairy people on the West African coast. It reached English by 1847 as gorilla. Revived by naturalist Thomas Savage to name the newly described great ape. Today, gorilla means a large African great ape, the largest living primate.

1. Stage 1 · Ancient Greek · c. 500 BC Gorillai "a tribe of hairy people", from an account of Hanno the Navigator describing hairy people on the West African coast.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1847 gorilla "the great ape species", revived by naturalist Thomas Savage to name the newly described great ape.