Where does “King William pine” come from?

King William pine (English) comes from English william, from Middle English William, from Anglo-Norman Willame, from Old High German Willahelm, from Old High German helm, from Proto-West Germanic helm, from Proto-Germanic helmaz, from Proto-Germanic halmaz — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.

Ancestry of “King William pine”, step by step

King William pine traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English william

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwilliamradiotelephony clear-code word for the letter W
2Middle EnglishWilliam
3Anglo-NormanWillame
4Old High GermanWillahelmWilliam
5Old High Germanhelmhelmet
6Proto-West Germanichelmhelmet
7Proto-Germanichelmazhelmet
8Proto-Germanichalmazhalm; stem; stalk; straw; hay
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱolh₂mosstalk
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelh₂-to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab

via English King

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishKingradiotelephony clear-code word for the letter K
2Middle Englishkingking monarch
3Old Englishcyningking
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English pine

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpineAny coniferous tree of the genus "Pinus"; Any...
2Middle EnglishpyneA painful punishment; torture
3Old Englishpine
4Proto-Germanic*pīnā
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₂-Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱolh₂mosEvery word from Proto-Germanic halmaz