Etymograph

English

ocarina

Ocarina comes from Italian ocarina, from oca ‘goose’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-1‘to enjoy’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwis1‘bird’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*awis1‘bird’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEavis1‘a bird’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*avica1reconstructed
  6. Late Latinmodernauca1
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentoca1‘goose’
  8. Italianc. 1300–presentocarina1
  9. Englishtodayocarina1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English ocarina

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-Wiktionary, English ocarina‘to enjoy’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwisWiktionary, English ocarina‘bird’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*awisWiktionary, English ocarina‘bird’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEavisWiktionary, English ocarina‘a bird’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*avicaWiktionary, English ocarinareconstructed
  6. Late LatinmodernaucaWiktionary, English ocarina
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentocaWiktionary, English ocarina‘goose’
  8. Italianc. 1300–presentocarinaWiktionary, English ocarina
  9. EnglishtodayocarinaWiktionary, English ocarina

The story

Borrowed from Italian ocarina (literally “little goose”), due to the musical instrument's resemblance to the animal.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’

audience, ear, audit, acoustic, obey, avid, audible, anesthesia, ovation, aural, otolaryngology, avarice, 66 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwis ‘bird’

love, egg, oval, ey, 11 more

through Latin avis ‘a bird’

aviation, avian, auspicious, aviator, aviary, 7 more

through Italian oca ‘goose’

oka

Today it means

noun A woodwind musical instrument that is closed at both sides to produce an enclosed space, and punctured with finger holes.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ocarina”. 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 *h₂ew- / ocarina

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