Vespertilion
/ˌvɛspərˈtɪliən/noun
A bat, especially one belonging to the family Vespertilionidae.
Did you know?Vespertilion comes from Latin vespertilio, “bat,” a word associated with vesper, “evening”; the same twilight root survives in the scientific family name Vespertilionidae.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wes-per-
“A reconstructed root associated with evening or the setting sun”
Ancient Greek
Greek
hesperos
“Evening; the western sky; the evening star”
Classical Latin
Latin
vesper
“Evening; the west; the evening star”
Classical Latin
Latin
vespertilio
“Bat, literally associated with evening”
17th Century
English
vespertilion
“A bat; a learned borrowing from Latin”
Modern English
English
vespertilion
“A bat, especially a vesper bat”