(declension-1, feminine) orc, orca (kind of whale)
(declension-1, feminine) butt, tun (large-bellied vessel)
Pronunciato come (IPA)
[ˈɔr.ka]
Etimologia (Inglese)
Either borrowed from Ancient Greek ὕρχη (húrkhē, “earthen fish-salting vessel”), or else both borrowed separately from a substrate Mediterranean language. The sense of whale is likely influenced by ὄρυξ (órux, “pickaxe; oryx; narwhal”); it is possible that both ὕρχη (húrkhē) and ὄρυξ (órux) were conflated when borrowed into Latin.