Where does “brushwood” come from?
Brushwood comes from Middle English brushwood, combining brush with wood, ultimately tracing through Old English wudu to Proto-Indo-European roots including weh₂t-, widʰu-, bʰr̥stís, weydʰ-, and bʰers-.
brushwood (English): Branches and twigs fallen from trees and shrubs;...
Definitions
- Branches and twigs fallen from trees and shrubs;...
Ancestry of “brushwood”, step by step
brushwood traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Brush
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Brush | An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair |
| 2 | Middle English | brusshe | — |
| 3 | Old French | broisse | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | brustia | — |
| 5 | Icelandic | bursti | brush |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burstiz | bristle |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | bʰurstís | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥s-tí-s | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰers- | top, tip, point |
via English Wood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wood | An English topographic surname for someone who lived in or near a wood |
| 2 | English | Frog | Alternative form of frog |
| 3 | Portuguese | froco | flock |
| 4 | Latin | floccus | tuft, wisp of wool |
| 5 | Frankish | flokko | down, wool, flock |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *flukkô | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |