Carnivorous
/kɑːrˈnɪvərəs/noun
Feeding on flesh.
Did you know?Its core comes from Latin *carō* (“flesh”), the same root that gave us *carnal*—proof that English often hides brutally physical meanings inside polished scientific words.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“to cut, scrape, or carve”
Latin
Latin
carō
“flesh, meat”
Late Latin
Latin
carnivorus
“flesh-eating”
Late 16th Century
English
carnivorous
“feeding on flesh”
Modern English
English
carnivorous
“feeding on flesh”
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