Where does “blackbird” come from?
Blackbird derives from Middle English blakebird, a compound of blake (dark) and bird, ultimately tracing to Germanic roots for darkness and the animal itself.
blackbird (English): A common true thrush, "Turdus merula", found in...
Definitions
- A common true thrush, "Turdus merula", found in...
Ancestry of “blackbird”, step by step
blackbird traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Black
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Black | Alternative letter-case form of black |
| 2 | Old French | blanc | white |
| 3 | Late Latin | blancus | white |
| 4 | Frankish | blank | bright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *blank | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | blankaz | bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bhleg- | to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch |
via English bird
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bird | A member of the class of animals Aves in the... |
| 2 | Middle English | brid | a young bird, a bird in general; Alternative form... |
| 3 | Old English | bridd | young bird, chick; chicken |
via Middle English blakebird
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | blakebird | — |