English
burro
Burro comes from Spanish burro ‘donkey, especially one used as a pack animal’, from Latin burricus ‘small horse’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ ‘fire’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péh₂wr̥1‘fire’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pāwər1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπῦρ1pûr‘a funerary fire’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπῠρρός1pŭrrhós‘flame-coloured, yellowish-red’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEburrus1‘flushed, red’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEburricus1‘small horse’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentborrico1‘donkey’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentburro1‘donkey, especially one used as a pack animal’
- Englishtodayburro1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English burro
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péh₂wr̥Wiktionary, English burro‘fire’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pāwərWiktionary, English burroreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπῦρWiktionary, English burropûr‘a funerary fire’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπῠρρόςWiktionary, English burropŭrrhós‘flame-coloured, yellowish-red’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEburrusWiktionary, English burro‘flushed, red’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEburricusWiktionary, English burro‘small horse’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentborricoWiktionary, English burro‘donkey’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentburroWiktionary, English burro‘donkey, especially one used as a pack animal’
- EnglishtodayburroWiktionary, English burro
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ ‘fire’
through Proto-Hellenic *pāwər
through Ancient Greek πῦρ ‘a funerary fire’
bertram, pyre, pyrite, pyro, 13 more
through Latin burrus ‘flushed, red’
through Spanish burro ‘donkey, especially one used as a pack animal’
Today it means
noun A small donkey, especially when used as a pack animal or one that is feral and lives in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “burro”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ / burro