Etymology

ouroboros

O1U1R1O1B3O1R1O1S1

Today it means: A serpent, dragon or worm that eats its own tail, a representation of the continuous cycle of life and death. Full definition →

Ancient Greek οὐροβόρος (ourobóros) ← Proto-Hellenic *gʷigʷrṓskō ← Proto-Indo-European *gʷi-gʷr̥h₃-sḱé-ti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ers-
  2. Ancient Greekοὐρά (ourá)
  3. Proto-Indo-European*gʷerh₃-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*gʷi-gʷr̥h₃-sḱé-ti
  5. Proto-Hellenic*gʷigʷrṓskō
  6. Ancient Greekβιβρώσκω (bibrṓskō)
  7. Ancient Greekοὐροβόρος (ourobóros)
  8. English todayouroboros

From Ancient Greek οὐροβόρος (ourobóros, “tail-devouring”, a compound of οὐρά (ourá, “tail”) + -βόρος (-bóros, “-devouring”, which is derived from the verb βιβρώσκω (bibrṓskō, “to eat up”))).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.