Where does “butternut” come from?
butternut (English) comes from English butter, from Middle English butter, from Middle English buter, from Old English butere, from Proto-West Germanic buterā, from Latin būtȳrum, from Ancient Greek βούτυρον, from Ancient Greek τυρός — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.
butternut (English): A North American walnut tree, "Juglans cinerea";...
Definitions
- A North American walnut tree, "Juglans cinerea";...
Ancestry of “butternut”, step by step
butternut traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English butter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | butter | A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the... |
| 2 | Middle English | butter | Alternative form of buter |
| 3 | Middle English | buter | butter |
| 4 | Old English | butere | butter |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | buterā | butter |
| 6 | Latin | būtȳrum | butter |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βούτυρον | butter |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | τυρός | cheese |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | tūrós | cheese |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | tuh₂-ró-s | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |
via English nut
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nut | A hard-shelled seed; A piece of metal, usually... |
| 2 | Middle English | nute | — |
| 3 | Old English | hnutu | nut |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hnut | nut |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hnuts | nut |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | knew- | to scrape; scratch; rub; to scratch; scrape; rub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |