pinnothere

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromτηρέω“to guard”
2. Ancient Greek · derived fromπίνη“pen shell”
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromπινοτήρης
4. Latin · derived frompīnotērēs
5. English todaypinnothere

From Latin pīnotērēs, from Ancient Greek πινοτήρης (pinotḗrēs), from Ancient Greek πίνη (pínē, “pen shell”) + Ancient Greek τηρέω (tēréō, “to guard”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 17th–19th c. A small crab of the genus Pinnotheres, which live symbiotically in the shells of certain molluscs.