mammal

Where does the word "mammal" come from? It comes from Latin mamma, and was adopted directly into English (1826).

Mammal’s story begins in Latin: mamma meant “a breast.” A breast, the defining feature of animals that nurse their young. It reached English by 1826 as mammal. From Linnaeus's class name 'Mammalia', 'of the breasts', coined in 1758. Today, mammal means a warm-blooded animal that nurses its young with milk.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient mamma "a breast", a breast, the defining feature of animals that nurse their young.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1826 mammal "an animal that nurses its young with milk", from Linnaeus's class name 'Mammalia', 'of the breasts', coined in 1758.