Where does “bristlebird” come from?

bristlebird (English) comes from English bristle, from Middle English bristil, from Old English bristl — a bristle.

bristlebird (English): Any of three species of passerine birds in the...

Definitions

  1. Any of three species of passerine birds in the...

Ancestry of “bristlebird”, step by step

bristlebird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bristle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbristleA stiff or coarse hair; The hairs or other...
2Middle Englishbristil—
3Old Englishbristla bristle

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