Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bush” come from?

Bush comes from Dutch bosch and bos, from Latin bosca and buxus, from Frankish busk, from Ancient Greek πύξος, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH-.

bush (English): A woody plant distinguished from a tree by its...

Definitions

  1. A woody plant distinguished from a tree by its...

Ancestry of “bush”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbusshebush
2Old Englishbusc—
3Latinboscafirewood
4Late Latinbusca—
5Proto-West Germanicbuskbush, thicket
6Proto-Germanicbuskazbush; thicket
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰuH-to become, grow, appear

Words derived from “bush”

  • bushy
  • bouche
  • bushman
  • bushfire
  • rosebush
  • bushranger
  • highbush
  • bushland
  • saltbush
  • bushwhacking
  • bushbuck
  • bushwhacker
  • bushwhack
  • bushveld
  • bushranging
  • bushwalking
  • bouge
  • lowbush
  • spicebush
  • bushiness
  • bushcraft
  • bushie
  • shadbush
  • buttonbush
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- →