Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Ash” come from?

Ash (English) comes from Middle English asshe, from Old English æsc, from Old English æsċ, from Old English trēo, from Proto-West Germanic treu, from Proto-Germanic trewą, from English doru, from Ancient Greek δόρυ — hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree.

Ancestry of “Ash”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishassheashes; The remnants of a lifeform; The matter...
2Old Englishæscash tree; spear; ship
3Old Englishæsċash tree; ash, spear, lance, ship
4Old Englishtrēo—
5Proto-West Germanictreutree; wood
6Proto-Germanictrewątree
7EnglishdoruAlternative form of dory
8Ancient Greekδόρυwood, tree, stem; spear shaft, spear, lance,...
9Proto-Hellenicdórutree
10Proto-Indo-Europeandórutree
11Proto-Indo-Europeandrew-hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree
Every word from Proto-Indo-European drew- →