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Tilapia

3 stages from Tswana to English.

Today it means A freshwater fish, native to Africa, now widely farmed around the world as an affordable food source.

Where does the word "tilapia" come from? It comes from Tswana tlhapi, passing through English before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
tlhapi
Tswana · long-standing
"fish"
a general Setswana word for fish, used across southern Africa
2
Stage 2 of 3
Tilapia
English · 1840
"a genus of freshwater fish"
Latinized by Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith when naming the fish genus
3
Stage 3 of 3
tilapia
English · 1900s
"a farmed freshwater fish popular worldwide as food"
became everyday English as the fish grew into a major global food source
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