muckefuck | WotD: platypus (Reply)

das Schnabeltier
het vogelbekdier
el ornitorrinco
l'ornitorinc
l'ornithorynque
an platapas
y hwyatbig
dziobak
오리너구리
鴨嘴獸 yāzuǐshòu
カモノハシ

Notes: 1. "beak beast" 2. "bird beak beast" 7. "duck beak" 8. dim. of dziób "beak" 9. "duck raccoon dog" 10. "bird mouth beast" 11. "wild duck's beak"

I frankly didn't expect the equivalents to be so varied or so divergent from English. Sure, the Romance languages seem to agree in using a form of the Latin genus name (which is simply the Greek for "bird snout"), but many of the other languages of Europe seem to have taken this designation and made it their own. I'm particularly surprised to see both Korean and Japanese using 100% native names for a creature which could hardly be more exotic to them.

Post a comment in response: