Where does “driftwood” come from?
Driftwood comes from Middle English driftwood, composed of drift (from Old English drīfan, to drive) and wood (from Old English wudu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰer-, to hold or support).
driftwood (English): A floating piece, or pieces, of wood that drifts...
Definitions
- A floating piece, or pieces, of wood that drifts...
Ancestry of “driftwood”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Wood | — |
| 2 | English | Frog | Alternative form of frog |
| 3 | Portuguese | froco | flock |
| 4 | Latin | floccus | tuft, wisp of wool |
| 5 | Frankish | flokko | down, wool, flock |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *flukkô | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |