Where does “birdseed” come from?

birdseed (English) comes from English seed, from English See, from Middle English seen, from Old English sēon, from Proto-West Germanic sehwan, from Proto-Germanic sehwaną, from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- — to follow; to see; to say.

birdseed (English): Seed, usually constituting a mixture from several...

Definitions

  1. Seed, usually constituting a mixture from several...

Ancestry of “birdseed”, step by step

birdseed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English seed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishseedA fertilized and ripened ovule, containing an...
2EnglishSee
3Middle Englishseento see
4Old Englishsēonto be; to filter; to see, look, behold, perceive,...
5Proto-West Germanicsehwanto see
6Proto-Germanicsehwanąto see
7Proto-Indo-Europeansekʷ-to follow; to see; to say

via English bird

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbirdA member of the class of animals Aves in the...
2Middle Englishbrida young bird, a bird in general; Alternative form...
3Old Englishbriddyoung bird, chick; chicken
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ-