Back to all words

Tapir

4 stages from Tupi to English.

Today it means a large, herbivorous mammal with a short, flexible snout, found in the Americas and Southeast Asia

Where does the word "tapir" come from? It comes from Tupi tapira, passing through Portuguese and French before entering English (1770s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
tapira
Tupi · pre-1500s
"a large forest mammal"
named the large, long-snouted forest mammal
2
Stage 2 of 4
tapir
Portuguese · 1560s
"a large, pig-like forest mammal with a short trunk"
adopted by Portuguese colonists describing Brazilian wildlife
3
Stage 3 of 4
tapir
French · 1600s
"a large, hoofed mammal with a flexible snout"
passed into French natural history writing describing New World animals
4
Stage 4 of 4
tapir
English · 1770s
"a large, herbivorous mammal with a short trunk-like snout"
adopted into English zoological terminology
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom