carnivorous

the word 'carnivorous' is a direct borrowing from latin carnivorus, which itself is a compound of carn- (flesh) and -vorus (devouring). the root carō is of proto-indo-european origin, likely from (s)ker- meaning 'to cut', a semantic link to meat as something cut from an animal. the element vorāre also has pie roots, possibly from gʷerh₃- meaning 'to devour, swallow'. the latin term logically described creatures that 'devour flesh', a meaning preserved with scientific precision in modern english, primarily used in biological contexts to describe dietary habits.

Structure: carn (flesh) + i + vor (devour) + ous (adjective suffix) carn (from latin carō, carnis meaning 'flesh'), i (a connecting vowel), vor (from latin vorāre meaning 'to devour, swallow'), ous (a suffix from latin -ōsus meaning 'full of, characterized by').