Etymology

perissodactyl

P3E1R1I1S1S1O1D2A1C3T1Y4L1

Today it means: Any ungulate mammal with an odd number of toes and belonging to the Perissodactyla, an equid, a tapir, or a rhinoceros. Full definition →

Ancient Greek δάκτυλος (dáktulos) ← Proto-Indo-European *per-
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Ancient Greekπερί (perí)
  3. Ancient Greekπερῐ- (perĭ-)
  4. Ancient Greekπερισσός (perissós)
  5. Ancient Greekδάκτυλος (dáktulos)
  6. English todayperissodactyl

From Ancient Greek περισσός (perissós, “uneven”) + δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger, toe”). Compare the taxon name Perissodactyla.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.