zodiac

From Middle English zodiak, borrowed from Old French zodiaque, from Latin zōdiacus, itself from Greek zōidiakós kúklos, meaning the 'circle of little animals,' built on zōídion, a diminutive of zōîon, 'animal.'

The word entered English in the late 1300s already carrying its astrological sense, describing the circle of constellations. Separately, the same name was later adopted as a brand of inflatable boats made by the French company Zodiac Nautic.

It shares its root zōîon ('animal') with the Greek diminutive zōídion, 'little animal,' which is baked directly into its own history.