Anonymous asked:
What are some weird Greek words for animals (like how giraffe is a camel leopard or an ostrich is a sparrow camel)
alatismeni-theitsa answered:
Hello! I was a little late to answer that because I was pressing my mind to remember more words :P
First of all, I am not sure what “παρδος” (pard) means. It seems to mean “cheetah“ from ancient Greek to English translation in this book (Link) Αt the same time Greeks have the word “parthalos“ (παρδαλός) which means “colorful/dotted“.
If παρδαλος comes from the “colorful” word, then giraffe (καμηλοάρδαλη) is a “colorful camel“ (λεων + παρδαλος). If it comes from “πάρδος“ then it means “camel cheetah“!
Leopard is “λεοπάρδαλη”, coming from “λεων“ + “πάρδος“/”παρδαλός“ which could be translated as “lion cheetah“ or “colorful lion“.
Other werid words for animals and birds I have thought are:
- Κροκόδειλος (crocodile) = stone worm
- Νυφίτσα (weasel) = little bride/nymph
- Γυπαετός (a subspecies of vulture) = vulture eagle
- Σκαντζόχοιρος (hedgehog) = thorn pig
- Τρυποκάρυδος (woodpecker) = the one who makes holes into nuts
- Γατόπαρδος (cheetah) = cat + pard
