Where does “bristle” come from?

Bristle comes from Middle English bristil, from Middle English brust, from Old English byrst, from Proto-Germanic brestuz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥stís or bʰr̥s-tí-s, ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root bʰers-.

bristle (English): A stiff or coarse hair; The hairs or other...

Definitions

  1. A stiff or coarse hair; The hairs or other...

Ancestry of “bristle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbristil—
2Old Englishbristla bristle

Words derived from “bristle”

Every word from Old English bristl →Every word from Middle English bristil →