Where does “bullfinch” come from?

bullfinch (English) comes from English finch, from Middle English fynch, from Old English finċ, from Proto-Germanic finkiz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pingos — chaffinch.

bullfinch (English): The Eurasian bullfinch; Any of various other Old...

Definitions

  1. The Eurasian bullfinch; Any of various other Old...

Ancestry of “bullfinch”, step by step

bullfinch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English finch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfinchAny bird of the family Fringillidae, seed-eating...
2Middle Englishfynchfinch
3Old Englishfinċfinch
4Proto-Germanicfinkizfinch
5Proto-Indo-European(s)pingoschaffinch

via English Bull

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBullThe constellation and zodiacal sign Taurus
2Middle Englishbullfalsehood
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pingos →Every word from Proto-Germanic finkiz →Every word from Old English finċ →