mammoth

Where does the word "mammoth" come from? It comes from Siberian (Yakut) mangont, passing through Russian before entering English (1700s).

Mammoth’s story begins in Siberian (Yakut): mangont meant “creature believed to burrow underground.” A folk term for the tusked remains found frozen in the permafrost. By 1600s-1700s, the word had taken hold in Russian as mamont. Siberian ivory traders brought mammoth tusks to Russian markets. It reached English by 1700s as mammoth. First recorded in English in 1706; because tusks were dug from the ground, the beast was believed to burrow underground. Today, mammoth means an extinct, elephant-like mammal with long tusks and thick fur; informally, anything huge.

1. Stage 1 · Siberian (Yakut) · pre-1600s mangont "creature believed to burrow underground", a folk term for the tusked remains found frozen in the permafrost.
2. Stage 2 · Russian · 1600s-1700s mamont "the extinct tusked animal", Siberian ivory traders brought mammoth tusks to Russian markets.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1700s mammoth "the extinct woolly elephant", first recorded in English in 1706; because tusks were dug from the ground, the beast was believed to burrow underground.