English
madrepore
Madrepore comes from French madrépore ‘a coral of the genus Madrepora or of the…’, from Italian madre ‘mother’, and ultimately from Latin porus.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEporus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmater‘mother’
- Italianc. 1300–presentmadre‘mother’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentmadrepora
- Frenchc. 1600–presentmadrépore‘a coral of the genus Madrepora or of the larger group Madreporaria’
- Englishearliest quotation 1811madrepore
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEporus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmater‘mother’
- Italianc. 1300–presentmadre‘mother’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentmadrepora
- Frenchc. 1600–presentmadrépore‘a coral of the genus Madrepora or of the larger group Madreporaria’
- Englishearliest quotation 1811madrepore
Earliest quotation: 1811, William Marsden: “The beauty of the madrepores and corallines, of which…”
Linked words
through Latin porus
through Latin mater ‘mother’
matter, material, matrix, maternal, maternity, mater, matron, madrigal, 13 more
Today it means
noun A coral of the genus Madrepora or of the order Madreporaria.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin porus / madrepore