cygnet

The word 'cygnet' is a direct borrowing from Middle English 'cignet', which itself came from the Anglo-French term for a young swan. Its core, 'cygn-', traces back to the Latin 'cygnus' (swan), a word likely influenced by the Greek 'kyknos'. The diminutive suffix '-et', of Old French origin, was appended to indicate a smaller or juvenile form. Thus, the term's literal construction, "little swan," has remained semantically transparent from its medieval origins to its precise modern zoological meaning.

Structure: cygn (swan) + et (diminutive suffix) - cygn: From Latin 'cygnus', meaning 'swan'. Its ultimate origin is Greek 'κύκνος' (kyknos). - et: A diminutive suffix of Old French origin, used to form nouns denoting a small or young version of something.