English
vibrissa
Vibrissa comes from Latin vibrissae ‘whiskers, the hairs of the nose’, from vibrō ‘to tremble, vibrate’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- ‘to oscillate, swing’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyp-‘to oscillate, swing’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvibrō‘to tremble, vibrate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvibrissae‘whiskers, the hairs of the nose’
- Englishearliest quotation 1881vibrissa
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyp-‘to oscillate, swing’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvibrō‘to tremble, vibrate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvibrissae‘whiskers, the hairs of the nose’
- Englishearliest quotation 1881vibrissa
Earliest quotation: 1881, St George Jackson Mivart, The Cat: “There are also long hairs inside each ear and…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyp- ‘to oscillate, swing’
whip, wipe, weave, waive, waver, waif, 7 more
through Latin vibrō ‘to tremble, vibrate’
Today it means
noun Any of the tactile whiskers on the nose of an animal such as a cat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyp- / vibrissa