"Pedigree" comes from the Anglo-Norman pé de grue, meaning "foot of the crane." The word refers to the lines on genealogical charts, which look like crane footprints.
The word "cavalier" comes from the Spanish cavallero, meaning "horse-rider," which in turn comes from cavallo, meaning "horse." Another related word is "chivalrous."
In ancient Greece, a kanopeion, from the Greek word for mosquito, konops, was a chair or couch fitted with a mosquito net over it.
"Butcher" goes back to the Anglo-Norman bocher to the Old French bochier, which was formed off the word boc, meaning "goat."
"Cynic" comes from the Greek cynikos, meaning "dog-like" or "churlish."
"Hobby" was an old term that people in England used to give cart-horses. It became a general word for a nice little pony, and then for a toy horse.
"Harpoon" comes from the French harpon, a cramp iron for holding stones together, which came from harpe, the word for a dog's claw.
"Formication" is the medical name for a creeping, tingling sensation felt on the skin, which takes its name from the Latin word for "ant," formica.
SWIPE UP FOR MORE AMAZING STORIES