Where does “bristling” come from?

Bristling derives from English bristle, which comes from Middle English bristil and brust, Old English byrst, Proto-Germanic brestuz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥stís, related to the root bʰers-.

bristling (English): Having bristles; Showing anger; present...

Definitions

  1. Having bristles; Showing anger; present...

Ancestry of “bristling”, step by step

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

Words derived from “bristling”

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