porpoise

The story

1. Latin · derived fromporcus“hog, pig”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*porcopiscis“porpoise”
3. Old French · derived frompourpois
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromporpeis
5. Middle English · inherited fromporpeys
6. English todayporpoise

From Middle English porpeys, purpeys, borrowed from Anglo-Norman porpeis, purpeis, Old French pourpois, porpois, pourpais, porpeis (“porpoise”), from Vulgar Latin *porcopiscis (“porpoise”, literally “hog-fish”), taken from Latin porcus (“hog, pig”) + piscis (“fish”). Compare (in transposed order) obsolete Italian pesce porco and Portuguese peixe porco; also Latin porcus marīnus (“sea hog”); akin in formation to Frankish *mariswīn (“porpoise, dolphin”) (whence German Meerschwein, English mereswine). Displaced native Middle English brunswyn. More at mereswine.

Words from the same roots