*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of burro

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ Proto-Hellenic *pāwər Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr) Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Hellenic *-rós Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós) Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor. Latin burrus Proto-Ind

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A small donkey, especially when used as a pack animal or one that is feral and lives in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ Proto-Hellenic *pāwər Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr) Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Hellenic *-rós Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós) Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor. Latin burrus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin burricusder. Vulgar Latin *burrīccus Spanish borricobf. Spanish burrobor. English burro Borrowed from Spanish burro.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "es:burro",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥\nProto-Hellenic *pāwər\nAncient Greek πῦρ (pûr)\nProto-Indo-European *-rós\nProto-Hellenic *-rós\nAncient Greek -ρός (-rós)\nAncient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor.\nLatin burrus\nProto-Indo-European *-ikos\nProto-Italic *-ikos\nLatin -icus\nLatin burricusder.\nVulgar Latin *burrīccus\nSpanish borricobf.\nSpanish burrobor.\nEnglish burro\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bf.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Back-formation from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"donkey\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"fire\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*péh₂wr̥\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*pāwər\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πῦρ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-rós\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*-rós\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ρός\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πῠρρός\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"burrus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"-ic\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-ikos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-ikos\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-icus\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"burricus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Vulgar Latin\", \"term\" : \"*burrīccus\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"la-vul\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Spanish\", \"term\" : \"borrico\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"es\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"back-formation\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Spanish\", \"term\" : \"burro\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"es\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"burro\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"burro\">\nBorrowed from Spanish burro."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "es:burro",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥\nProto-Hellenic *pāwər\nAncient Greek πῦρ (pûr)\nProto-Indo-European *-rós\nProto-Hellenic *-rós\nAncient Greek -ρός (-rós)\nAncient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor.\nLatin burrus\nProto-Indo-European *-ikos\nProto-Italic *-ikos\nLatin -icus\nLatin burricusder.\nVulgar Latin *burrīccus\nSpanish borricobf.\nSpanish burrobor.\nEnglish burro\nBorrowed from Spanish burro."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*péh₂wr̥",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/péh₂wr̥"
    ],
    [
      "*pāwər",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/pāwər"
    ],
    [
      "πῦρ",
      "πῦρ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*-rós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-rós"
    ],
    [
      "*-rós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/-rós"
    ],
    [
      "-ρός",
      "-ρός#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "πῠρρός",
      "πυρρός#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "burrus",
      "burrus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*-ikos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-ikos"
    ],
    [
      "*-ikos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-ikos#Proto-Italic:_-ic"
    ],
    [
      "-icus",
      "-icus#Latin:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "burricus",
      "burricus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*burrīccus",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/burriccus"
    ],
    [
      "borrico",
      "borrico#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "burro",
      "burro#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "burro",
      "burro#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small donkey, especially when used as a pack animal or one that is feral and lives in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6bd505b1f3c08299e5822c5131d8dd9b6a5bdc8948e0662cbd440ac247c03032",
      "rawRecordSha256": "77f25cb34b60bbad1a9a39eccf53497f9b2f44b8edf98ff823d7551ad9044012",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 24320
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for burro →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YnVycm8