Where does “alder” come from?
Alder comes from Middle English alder, from Old English alor, from Proto-Germanic aluz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂élisos, a term for the alder tree.
alder (English): Any of several trees or shrubs of the genus...
Definitions
- Any of several trees or shrubs of the genus...
Ancestry of “alder”, step by step
alder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English ller
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ller | — |
| 2 | English | leer | To look sideways or obliquely; now especially... |
| 3 | Middle English | lere | empty; Alternative form of lore |
| 4 | Old English | lār | teaching; doctrine; lore, learning, science, art... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | laiʀu | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | laizō | teaching; lore; doctrine |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | laizijaną | to teach |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | loyséyeti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leys | to trace; to track |