Where does “eyebright” come from?
eyebright (English) comes from English bright, from Middle English bright, from Old English beorht, from Proto-Germanic *berht, from Proto-Germanic berhtaz, from Proto-Germanic hrabnaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱorh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer- — army.
eyebright (English): Any of the flowering plants of the genus...
Definitions
- Any of the flowering plants of the genus...
Ancestry of “eyebright”, step by step
eyebright traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bright
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bright | Visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, clear,... |
| 2 | Middle English | bright | — |
| 3 | Old English | beorht | bright, clear |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *berht | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | berhtaz | bright, shining |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hrabnaz | raven |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English Eye
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Eye | A place name |
| 2 | English | -some | Characterized by some specific condition or... |
| 3 | Middle English | -som | some; having a specific quality |
| 4 | Old English | sum | some |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *sum | some |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sumaz | some (one), a certain (one) |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |