lynx

lynx · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*lewk-“white; light; bright”
2. Proto-Hellenic · derived from*lúnks
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromλύγξ
4. Latin · derived fromlynx
5. Middle English · inherited fromlynx
6. English todaylynx

From Middle English lynx, linx, lenx, lynce, from Latin lynx, from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx), from Proto-Hellenic *lúnks, from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“white; light; bright”), because of the cat's seemingly glowing eyes and ability to see in the dark. Doublet of onza and ounce. Displaced English los; Middle English lusk (“lynx”), from Old English lox (“lynx”) as the animal died out in Britain during the Middle Ages.

Lynx · proper noun²

1. Latin · derived fromlynx“lynx”
2. English todayLynx

From Latin lynx (“lynx”). Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687. The constellation is said to be so faint that one needs the eyes of a lynx to see it.

Words from the same roots