Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “boxwood” come from?

Boxwood comes from English box, from Latin buxus, from Ancient Greek πύξος, a type of tree yielding hard wood used for boxes and ornamental objects.

boxwood (English): The box tree, "Buxus sempervirens"; The hard,...

Definitions

  1. The box tree, "Buxus sempervirens"; The hard,...

Ancestry of “boxwood”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboxSenses relating to a three-dimensional object or...
2Frenchboxerboxer; boxer shorts, boxers; to box
3French-erForms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
4English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
5Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
6Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
7Latin-āre—
8Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
12Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye →