Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “buttercup” come from?

Buttercup comes from English butt and English cup, with butt deriving from Old French -er, Latin -are, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰewd-.

buttercup (English): Any of many herbs, of the genus "Ranunculus",...

Definitions

  1. Any of many herbs, of the genus "Ranunculus",...

Ancestry of “buttercup”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishButter—
2EnglishbuttThe larger or thicker end of something; the blunt...
3Middle Englishbutten—
4Anglo-Normanbuterto strike, finish
5Old Frenchboterto push, butt, strike; to strike; to push; thrust
6Old Frenchbouterto strike; to hit; to place; to put; to enter
7Frankishbautanto push, strike, beat; to hit, strike; to hit,...
8Proto-West Germanicbautanto beat
9Proto-Germanicbautanąto beat, push
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewd-to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

Words derived from “buttercup”

  • buttercuplike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →