Etymology

fauna

fau·na
F4A1U1N1A1

Today it means: Animals considered as a group; especially those of a particular country, region, time, biological group, etc. Full definition →

First used late 18th c.New Latin fauna ← Latin Fauna
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fauna · noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromFauna
  2. New Latin · borrowed fromfauna
  3. English todayfauna

Borrowed from New Latin fauna, from Latin Fauna, sister of Faunus (“god of forests and herdsmen”); akin to Ancient Greek θαῦνον (thaûnon, “wild animal, beast”), θώς (thṓs, “jackal, wild dog; panther”), Phrygian δάος (dáos, “wolf”).

Fauna · proper noun2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dʰeh₂w-
  2. English todayFauna

Feminine form of Faunus. Some refer it to Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₂w-, whence Ancient Greek θαῦνον (thaûnon, “beast”), Illyrian-related Daunus. Some refer it to faveō.

First known use, by meaning

  • from late 18th c. Animals considered as a group; especially those of a particular country, region, time, biological group, etc.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.