English
fodinichnion
Fodinichnion comes from Latin fodīna ‘a mine’, from fodiō ‘dig’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰedʰh₂-1‘to dig, burrow’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰódʰh₂ey1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*foðjō1‘to pierce’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfodiō1‘dig’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfodīna2‘a mine’
- Englishearliest quotation 1964fodinichnion2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin fodina
- 2 Wiktionary, English fodinichnion
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1964, Adolf Seilacher, Sedimentology: “Distinctive behaviour patterns add to the specific character as…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰedʰh₂-Wiktionary, Latin fodina‘to dig, burrow’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰódʰh₂eyWiktionary, Latin fodinareconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*foðjōWiktionary, Latin fodina‘to pierce’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfodiōWiktionary, Latin fodina‘dig’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfodīnaWiktionary, English fodinichnion‘a mine’
- Englishearliest quotation 1964fodinichnionWiktionary, English fodinichnion. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1964, Adolf Seilacher, Sedimentology: “Distinctive behaviour patterns add to the specific character as…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰh₂- ‘to dig, burrow’
bed, battle, combat, battery, bat, 12 more
through Latin fodiō ‘dig’
Today it means
noun A trace fossil formed by deposit feeders as they excavate the sediment in search of food.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “fodinichnion”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin fodina. 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 *bʰedʰh₂- / fodinichnion