Hippocentaur
/ˌhɪp.oʊˈsɛn.tɔːr/noun
A centaur, especially one described as having the body of a horse and the torso of a human.
Did you know?The Greek word kentauros has no securely established Indo-European etymology and may preserve a pre-Greek or otherwise obscure cultural term, while hippos plainly means “horse.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁éḱwos
“Horse; the reconstructed ancestor of Greek híppos and Latin equus.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
híppos
“Horse.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kén tauros / kéntauros
“Centaur; the origin of the second element is uncertain and not securely translated.”
Classical Greek
Greek
hippokéntauros
“Horse-centaur; a compound of híppos, “horse,” and kéntauros, “centaur.””
Late Antiquity
Latin
hippocentaurus
“A Latinized form used for a horse-bodied centaur.”
Modern English
English
hippocentaur
“A centaur, particularly one characterized as horse-bodied.”
Explore more surprising origins