what is the root of the word "perro"?
In almost all Romanian languages the word for "dog" is "chien" = French, "cane = Italian, only in Spanish it is "perro". What are the roots of this word?
4 Answers
Romanian: ¨câine¨, "chien" = French, "cane¨ = Italian, can in Spanish
un perro es un can
One theory of the origin of "perro" derives it from 'persus' (Persian) the name of a hunting dog , originally, from Persia, which became very popular in the Roman Empire from the 3rd century onward. Other theories are that it originally meant a "sheep dog" and comes from p-r-r-r the sound that Medieval shepherds in northern Spain used when calling sheep.
Bienvenida al foro. Welcome to the forum. 
It's canis in Latin, which is where all these words come from. As mediterrunio pointed out, the old Spanish word for dog is can.
