Where does “featherbush” come from?

featherbush (English) comes from English feather, from German feder, from Middle High German vëdere, from Old High German fedara, from Proto-West Germanic feþru, from Proto-Germanic feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.

featherbush (English): Any of a number of evergreen shrubs of the genus Aulax

Definitions

  1. Any of a number of evergreen shrubs of the genus Aulax

Ancestry of “featherbush”, step by step

featherbush traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English feather

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfeatherA branching, hair-like structure that grows on...
2Germanfederfeather
3Middle High Germanvëderefeather
4Old High Germanfedarafeather
5Proto-West Germanicfeþrufeather
6Proto-Germanicfeþrōfeather
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpéth₂r̥wing; feather
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly

via English Bush

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBushA place name
2Middle Englishbushgrove, wood; thicket, underbrush; bush; branch of...
3Old Englishbusċ
4Latinboscafirewood
5Late Latinbusca
6Proto-West Germanicbuskbush, thicket
7Proto-Germanicbuskazbush; thicket
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰuH-to become, grow, appear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂-Every word from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥Every word from Proto-Germanic feþrō