English
omnivore
Omnivore comes from Latin omnivorus ‘eating all things, all-devouring, omnivorous’, from omnis ‘every’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opnis‘every, all’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEomnis‘every’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEomnivorus‘eating all things, all-devouring, omnivorous’
- Englishtodayomnivore
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opnis‘every, all’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEomnis‘every’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEomnivorus‘eating all things, all-devouring, omnivorous’
- Englishtodayomnivore
Equivalent to omni- + -vore
Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’
Proto-Italic *opnis ‘every, all’
Latin omnis ‘all’
English omni-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’
office, official, operation, copy, operate, opera, opus, copious, opulence, officiate, oeuvre, officiant, officious, 24 more
through Latin omnis ‘every’
Today it means
noun An animal which is able to consume both plants (like a herbivore) and meat (like a carnivore).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- / omnivore