Ovis
/ˈoʊvɪs/noun
A genus of mammals that includes sheep and their close relatives.
Did you know?Ovis is the Latin word for a sheep, and its ancient Indo-European relatives spread into words for sheep and wool across multiple languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ówis
“sheep”
Proto-Italic
PI
*owis
“sheep”
Latin
Latin
ovis
“sheep”
Modern Scientific Latin
Latin
Ovis
“genus of sheep”