March theme: March of Horses 🐎

Introduction

This is a tricky one—another of these mysterious wanderwords coming out of the steppe. My current best hypothesis, based on the distribution in time and space, is that the Scythians/Northern Iranians picked it up somewhere and spread it around.

Another theory connects some of these words to a Phrygian word meaning "mountain", as in the goddess Matar Kubileya (aka Cybele), understood to be "Mother of the Mountain", combined with the idea that horses were called "mountain donkeys" in Bronze Age Asia Minor, as in the Sumerogram 𒀲𒆳𒊏 ANŠE.KUR.RA used to write "horse" in Hittite.

(Updated March 2026)

Teaser

cavalry, cavalier, chivalry, capercaillie

Full Text

• ? Central Asian substrate?

  • Scythian *kaba

    • Saka

      • Khotani kabä horse?
      • Slavic *kobňь *komňь *kòňь horse

        • East Slavic конь konĭ horse

          • Russian конь konʹ horse, male horse

            • Alutiiq kuuniq horse

              • Alutiiq kuuniruaq rocking-horse
            • Finnish koni horse, nag
          • Ukrainian кінь / кунь kinʹ kunʹ horse, knight (chess)
        • South Slavic

          • Old Church Slavonic ⰽⱁⱀⱐ / конь horse
          • Bulgarian кон kon horse, steed, knight (chess), pommel horse
          • Serbo-Croatian коњ / konj horse, knight (chess), idiot
        • West Slavic

          • Czech kůň horse, pommel horse, idiot
          • Polish koń horse, knight (chess), pommel horse
        • Slavic *kònьnica cavalry

          • East Slavic конница konnica cavalry

            • Russian конница konnica cavalry
            • Ukrainian кінниця kinnycja
          • South Slavic

            • Bulgarian конница konnica
            • Macedonian коњица konjica cavalry
            • Serbo-Croatian коњица / konjica cavalry
          • West Slavic

            • Polish konnica cavalry
        • Slavic *koňuxъ horseherd, stableman, groom

          • East Slavic конюхъ konjuxŭ

            • Russian конюх konjux stableman, groom, hostler, buzzard
            • Ukrainian конюх konjux stableman, groom, hostler, buzzard
          • South Slavic

            • Bulgarian конюх konjuh
            • Slovene konjuh horsekeeper, horseman, rider
          • West Slavic

            • Czech koňuch stableman
            • Polish koniuch horseherd, ranch hand
          • Slavic *koňušьna stable

            • East Slavic

              • Russian конюшня konjušnja stable, stabling
              • Ukrainian конюшня konjušnja stable, stabling
          • South Slavic

            • Bulgarian конюшня konjušnja
        • Slavic *konotòpъ swamp, boggy area, impassible area lit. "horse-drowning"

          • East Slavic конотопъ konotopŭ swamp, boggy area, impassible area

            • Russian конотоп konotop swamp, boggy area, impassible area, backwoods, hinterland

              • Russian Конотоп Konotop

                • Russian Конотопов Konotopov
          • West Slavic

            • Czech Konětopy
    • Latin cabō gelding
    • Scythian *kabala

      • Saka

        • Middle Persian

          • Persian kawal baggage horse, nag
          • Classical Greek καβάλλης kabállēs nag, pony

            • Persian kawal baggage horse, nag
        • Classical Greek καβάλλης kabállēs nag, pony

          • Persian kawal baggage horse, nag
      • Celtic *kappalos *kappilos horse

        • Brythonic *kėfɨl horse

          • Breton kefel horse
          • Middle Welsh keffyl

            • Welsh ceffyl horse
            • English Cavall / Cabal
        • Old Irish capall horse

          • Middle Irish

            • Irish capall horse

              • Irish Log na gCapall place name: Hollow of the Horses

                • English Lugnagappul
            • Manx cabbyl horse
            • Scottish Gaelic capall horse

              • Scottish Gaelic capall-coille capercaillie lit. "horse of the forest"

                • Scots capercailȝie / capercailzie

                  • English capercaillie
        • Gaulish capallos horse

          • Latin caballus pack horse, nag

            • Western Romance

              • Old French cheval

                • Middle French cheval

                  • French cheval horse
              • Spanish caballo horse also the chess piece

                • Classical Nahuatl cahuāllo horse
                • Tagalog kabayo horse
            • Latin caballārius horseman, rider

              • Western Romance

                • Old Occitan cavalier horseman, rider

                  • Old French chevalier

                    • Middle French chevalier / shyvalere

                      • French chevalier knight also the chess piece

                        • Persian شوالیه šovâliye knight
                        • Turkish şövalye knight
                    • Middle English chivaler / chevalere / chyvaler

                      • English chevalier re-Frankified
                    • Old French chevalerie knighthood, chivalry

                      • Middle French

                        • French chevalerie chivalry
                      • Middle English chivalerie a retinue of knights, knighthood, chivalry

                        • English chivalry
                  • Italian cavaliere rider, cavalry, knight, gentleman

                    • English cavalier
                    • Italian cavalleria cavalry, chivalry

                      • Middle French cavalerie

                        • French cavalerie cavalry
                        • English cavalry
                • Portuguese cavaleiro horseman, cavalier, knight
                • Spanish caballero gentleman, cowboy, horseman, knight

                  • Portuguese cavalheiro gentleman, cavalier
                  • English caballero
        • Slavic *kobyla mare (female horse)

          • East Slavic кобꙑла kobyla

            • Russian кобыла kobyla mare
            • Ukrainian кобила kobyla mare
          • South Slavic

            • Old Church Slavonic ⰽⱁⰱⱏⰺⰾⰰ / кобꙑла kobyla mare
            • Bulgarian кобила kobila mare
            • Serbo-Croatian кобила / kobila mare
            • Romanian cobilă stool, support frame, trestle, mare
          • West Slavic

            • Czech kobyla mare
            • Polish kobyła mare
          • Slavic *kobylica mare, locust, carrying pole
          • Slavic *kobylъka little mare, filly, locust
        • Old Uyghur kabal käväl breeding horse, racehorse

          • Karluk

            • Karakhanid käväl at a well-bred, fast horse

Visual

Collected English words

Cavall, Lugnagappul, capercaillie, chevalier, chivalry, cavalier, cavalry, caballero