English
pecorino
Pecorino comes from Italian pecorino ‘sheep’, from Latin pecus ‘cattle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱu- ‘livestock, domestic animals’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱu-1‘livestock, domestic animals’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpecū1‘cattle’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpecus1‘cattle’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpecora1neuter plural of pecus
- Italianc. 1300–presentpecora2‘sheep’
- Italianc. 1300–presentpecorino2‘sheep’
- Englishearliest quotation 2022pecorino2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Italian pecora
- 2 Wiktionary, English pecorino
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2022, Maddie Mortimer, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies: “Later that evening the two of them sat together…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱu-Wiktionary, Italian pecora‘livestock, domestic animals’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpecūWiktionary, Italian pecora‘cattle’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpecusWiktionary, Italian pecora‘cattle’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpecoraWiktionary, Italian pecoraneuter plural of pecus
- Italianc. 1300–presentpecoraWiktionary, English pecorino‘sheep’
- Italianc. 1300–presentpecorinoWiktionary, English pecorino‘sheep’
- Englishearliest quotation 2022pecorinoWiktionary, English pecorino. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2022, Maddie Mortimer, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies: “Later that evening the two of them sat together…”
Linked words
through Latin pecū ‘cattle’
through Latin pecus ‘cattle’
Today it means
noun Any of a family of Italian hard cheeses made from ewe's milk.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “pecorino”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Italian pecora. 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 *peḱu- / pecorino