Where does “burfish” come from?

burfish (English) comes from English fish, from Middle English fisch, from Old English fisċ, from Proto-West Germanic fisk, from Proto-Germanic fiskaz, from Indo-European *peysk-.

burfish (English): A spinose plectognath fish of the Atlantic coast...

Definitions

  1. A spinose plectognath fish of the Atlantic coast...

Ancestry of “burfish”, step by step

burfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English fish

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfishA cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in...
2Middle EnglishfischAn animal that inhabits the water or the meat of...
3Old Englishfisċfish
4Proto-West Germanicfiskfish
5Proto-Germanicfiskazfish
6Indo-European*peysk-—

via English bur

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishburA rough, prickly husk around the seeds or fruit...
2Middle Englishburre—
3Old Englishbyrstbristle; loss, defect, failure; injury
4Proto-Germanicbrestuzbreak; fracture; impairment; handicap
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰres‑to burst; break; crack; crackle
Every word from Indo-European *peysk- →
burfish — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer