Why is the Bat called that? Origins of the word, etymology and curiosities

A new trending on TikTok is delving into the etymology of some words, and it started with the bat.

I bats, nocturnal animals that have always been shrouded in an aura of mystery, owe their name to a Latin origin that perfectly reflects their nature. The Italian term "bat" in fact it derives from “vespertillum”, a word that dates back to Latin and which contains a clear reference to will be.

But how has this name evolved over time and why? will be played such an important role in its naming? Let's delve deeper into the topic.

The Latin root “vespertillum” and the connection with the evening of the Bat

The Latin word “vespertillum” derives directly from “evenings”, what does it mean "evening". This connection with twilight is not accidental: bats, in fact, are animals Night, known for their activity during the hours of dusk and night. The term “vespertillum” was therefore used to describe these small flying mammals precisely because of their nocturnal behavior. The suffix “-illum” It was commonly used in Latin to indicate diminutives or small objects, which makes “vespertillum” translatable as “little creature of the evening".

How “vespertillum” Became “pipistrello” in Italian

The passage from “vespertillum” a "bat" It is the result of a long linguistic evolution, typical of the transformation of Vulgar Latin into modern Romance languages. In particular, the ancient Latin term has progressively changed phonetically over the centuries, first giving rise to intermediate forms such as “vipistrello” in the Middle Ages, until reaching its current version.

The transformation of letters and sounds, with the addition of the "P" at the beginning of the word, is a frequent phenomenon in many words that passed from Latin to Italian. The suffix has also undergone a change, adapting to the phonetic rules of modern Italian.

What are bats called in other languages ​​and the etymology

The word for bat varies greatly in different languages, reflecting unique cultural and linguistic nuances.

In English, for example, the word is used “bat”, a term that derives from the Old English “beat”, connected to the concept of “beating”, referring to the movement of the wings.
In Spanish, instead, the bat is called “murcialago”, a word that has Latin roots but a different evolutionary history: it in fact comes from “flying fly”, or “fly swatter” perhaps due to the fact that bats feed on small insects, such as flies and mosquitoes.

even the French uses a distinctive term: “chauve-souris”, which literally means “bald mouse”, underlining a similarity with rodents.