Where does “chaffweed” come from?
chaffweed (English) comes from English weed, from Middle English weed, from Old English wēod, from Proto-West Germanic *weud — weed (unwanted plant).
chaffweed (English): A low glabrous weedy branching herb of the...
Definitions
- A low glabrous weedy branching herb of the...
Ancestry of “chaffweed”, step by step
chaffweed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English weed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | weed | Any plant regarded as unwanted at the place... |
| 2 | Middle English | weed | — |
| 3 | Old English | wēod | weed |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *weud | weed (unwanted plant) |
via English chaff
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | chaff | The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant;... |
| 2 | Middle English | chaf | Chaff; the parts of harvested grain not usable as... |
| 3 | Old English | ċeaf | chaff |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kaf | chaff |