Where does “hornet” come from?

Hornet comes from Middle English hernet, Old English hyrnetu, Proto-Germanic hurznutō, and Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂s-, ultimately from the root ḱerh₂-.

hornet (English): A large wasp, of the genus "Vespa", having a...

Definitions

  1. A large wasp, of the genus "Vespa", having a...

Ancestry of “hornet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhernet—
2Old Englishhyrnetuhornet
3Proto-Germanichurznutōhornet
4Proto-Germanichursulǭ—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱr̥h₂sro-hornet
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱerh₂-head, top; horn
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱr̥h₂sro- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hursulǭ →