Etymology Map
Back to all words

Ibis

4 stages from Egyptian to English.

Today it means A long-legged wading bird with a curved bill; several species are found worldwide, and it was sacred in ancient Egypt.

Where does the word "ibis" come from? It comes from Egyptian hib, passing through Ancient Greek and Latin before entering English (late 1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
hib
Egyptian · ancient
"the sacred ibis bird"
named the sacred wading bird associated with the god Thoth
2
Stage 2 of 4
ibis
Ancient Greek · ancient
"the Egyptian sacred bird"
adopted by Greek writers describing Egyptian religious life
3
Stage 3 of 4
ibis
Latin · ancient
"a long-legged wading bird"
carried into Latin natural histories such as Pliny's
4
Stage 4 of 4
ibis
English · late 1300s
"a long-legged wading bird related to herons and storks"
entered English through Latin natural-history texts
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom