Where does “birdsnest” come from?
birdsnest (English) comes from English nest, from Middle English nest, from Old English nēst, from Old English nīehst, from Proto-West Germanic **nāhwist(ō), from Proto-Germanic nēhwist, from Proto-Germanic nēhw, from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz — to reach, to attain.
Ancestry of “birdsnest”, step by step
birdsnest traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nest
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nest | A structure built by a bird as a place to... |
| 2 | Middle English | nest | nest |
| 3 | Old English | nēst | nest |
| 4 | Old English | nīehst | nearest, next |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | **nāhwist(ō) | nearest, closest |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwist | nearest, closest |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nēhw | near, close |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwaz | near, close |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂nḗḱwos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂neḱ- | to reach, to attain |