Where does “basswood” come from?
basswood (English) comes from English bass, from Middle English bace, from Middle English bars, from Old English bærs, from Proto-West Germanic bars, from Proto-Germanic barsaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰórsos, from Proto-Indo-European bʰers- — top, tip, point.
basswood (English): Any of several trees of the genus "Tilia"; the...
Definitions
- Any of several trees of the genus "Tilia"; the...
Ancestry of “basswood”, step by step
basswood traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bass
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bass | Of sound, a voice or an instrument, low in pitch... |
| 2 | Middle English | bace | bass; Alternative form of bas; Alternative form... |
| 3 | Middle English | bars | Alternative form of bace |
| 4 | Old English | bærs | a fish, perch |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | bars | perch |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | barsaz | perch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰórsos | prickle, thorn, scale; pointy, prickly |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰers- | top, tip, point |
via English Wood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wood | An English topographic surname for someone who lived in or near a wood |
| 2 | English | Frog | Alternative form of frog |
| 3 | Portuguese | froco | flock |
| 4 | Latin | floccus | tuft, wisp of wool |
| 5 | Frankish | flokko | down, wool, flock |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *flukkô | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |