Etymograph

English

cancrivorous

Cancrivorous comes from Latin cancer ‘crab’, from Proto-Italic *kankros ‘enclosure, fence’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kr-kr-1‘circular’reconstructedreduplication of *(s)ker-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*karkros1‘enclosure’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kankros1‘enclosure, fence’reconstructeddissimilation of *karkros
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcancer2‘crab’
  6. Englishtodaycancrivorous2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin cancer
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English cancrivorous

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Latin cancer‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kr-kr-Wiktionary, Latin cancer‘circular’reconstructedreduplication of *(s)ker-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*karkrosWiktionary, Latin cancer‘enclosure’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kankrosWiktionary, Latin cancer‘enclosure, fence’reconstructeddissimilation of *karkros
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcancerWiktionary, English cancrivorous‘crab’
  6. EnglishtodaycancrivorousWiktionary, English cancrivorous

Formed from vorous

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’

share, short, across, card, screen, cross, score, shirt, circle, circuit, curve, crucial, circulation, skirt, scare, circus, curb, scrutiny, scar, carnival, shrine, crest, circa, shear, shred, scorpion, raffle, circulate, carnage, incarceration, coronary, corona, shrewd, carcinoma, shard, scorn, cirque, crux, corolla, carnal, 112 more

through Proto-Italic *kankros ‘enclosure, fence’

cancerous, chancellery, 4 more

through Latin cancer ‘crab’

cancer, cancellation, chancel, canker, 6 more

Today it means

adj That feeds on crabs and other crustaceans

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cancrivorous”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin cancer. 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 *(s)ker- / cancrivorous

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