Porcellus
/pɔrˈtʃɛl.lus/noun
A Latin word meaning a piglet or young pig.
Did you know?Porcellus is the diminutive of Latin porcus, and its descendant path helped shape words connected to pigs, pork, and even porcelain through a separate historical association with pig-like whiteness and glossy surfaces.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*porko-
“young pig, piglet”
Latin
Latin
porcus
“pig, hog”
Latin
Latin
porcellus
“little pig, piglet”
Late Latin
Latin
porcellus
“piglet; used as a diminutive form”
English
English
porcellus
“a Latin word encountered in scholarly and historical contexts”