Where does “Heath” come from?
Heath (English) comes from Middle English heth, from Old English hǣþ, from Proto-West Germanic haiþi, from Proto-Germanic haiþī, from Proto-Indo-European ḱayt- — forest, wasteland, pasture.
Ancestry of “Heath”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | heth | Alternative form of heeth |
| 2 | Old English | hǣþ | heath, untilled land, waste; heather; heath;... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | haiþi | uncultivated land, wasteland |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | haiþī | heath, wasteland |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱayt- | forest, wasteland, pasture |