cochon d'Inde (French)
Where does "cochon d'Inde" come from?
The French term "cochon d'Inde" literally translates to "pig from India." This curious naming stems from early European travelers who often conflated the Americas with India, leading to these guinea pigs being misidentified by their supposed geographical origin.
Full etymology tree
- cochon d'Inde (French), 'guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)'
- compound cochon (French), 'piglet'
- compound Inde (French), 'India (a country in South Asia)'
- borrowed هِنْد (hind) (Classical Persian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris