Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brushfire” come from?

brushfire (English) comes from English Brush, from Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse, from Vulgar Latin brustia, from Icelandic bursti, from Proto-Germanic burstiz, from Proto-Germanic bʰurstís, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥s-tí-s — top, tip, point.

brushfire (English): A large fire in a scrubland or prairie, as...

Definitions

  1. A large fire in a scrubland or prairie, as...

Ancestry of “brushfire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBrush—
2Middle Englishbrusshe—
3Old Frenchbroisse—
4Vulgar Latinbrustia—
5Icelandicburstibrush
6Proto-Germanicburstizbristle
7Proto-Germanicbʰurstís—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰr̥s-tí-s—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰers-top, tip, point
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰers- →