Where does “broomcorn” come from?
broomcorn (English) comes from English corn, from Middle English corn, from Old English corn, from Proto-West Germanic korn, from Proto-Germanic kurną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nóm, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.
broomcorn (English): a variety of grass of the species Sorghum vulgare
Definitions
- a variety of grass of the species Sorghum vulgare
Ancestry of “broomcorn”, step by step
broomcorn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English corn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | corn | The main cereal plant grown for its grain in a... |
| 2 | Middle English | corn | Any plant that bears grain, especially wheat; a... |
| 3 | Old English | corn | corn, a grain or seed; a cornlike pimple, a corn... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | korn | corn, grain, cereal |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kurną | corn, grain, cereal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nóm | grain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nós | matured, grown old |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
via English broom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | broom | A domestic utensil with fibers bound together at... |
| 2 | Middle English | brom | Broom shrub of the family |
| 3 | Old English | brōm | brushwood; broom; broom shrub |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *brām | blackberry, bramble |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrem- | to make noise |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |