nīlzirgs (Latvian)
Where does "nīlzirgs" come from?
The Latvian word "nīlzirgs" is a compound meaning "Nile horse," formed by pairing "Nīla" (Nile) with "zirgs" (horse). This descriptive term is a calque, or literal translation, of the German "Nilpferd," which in turn traces its conceptual lineage back to the Ancient Greek "hippopótamos," meaning "river horse."
Full etymology tree
- nīlzirgs (Latvian), 'hippopotamus (genus Hippopotamus)'
- compound Nīla (Latvian), 'The Nile river.'
- compound zirgs (Latvian), 'horse (esp. Equus caballus; generic word)'
- inherited *źirˀgás (Proto-Baltic)
- partial calque Nilpferd (German), 'hippopotamus'
- partial calque ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos) (Ancient Greek), 'hippopotamus'
- compound ἵππος (híppos) (Ancient Greek), 'a horse, (feminine) a mare'
- inherited *íkkʷos (Proto-Hellenic), 'horse'
- inherited 𐀂𐀦 (i-qo) (Mycenaean Greek), 'horse'
- inherited *h₁éḱwos (Proto-Indo-European), 'stallion, horse'
- derived *h₁oh₁ḱu- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *íkkʷos (Proto-Hellenic), 'horse'
- compound ποταμός (potamós) (Ancient Greek), 'river, stream'
- derived *peth₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to spread out'
- compound ἵππος (híppos) (Ancient Greek), 'a horse, (feminine) a mare'
- partial calque ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos) (Ancient Greek), 'hippopotamus'
Ancestors
- Nīla (Latvian)
- zirgs (Latvian)
Cognates and doublets
- ἱπποπόταμος (Ancient Greek)
- Nilpferd (German)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris