Where does “fernbird” come from?
fernbird (English) comes from English fern, from Middle English fern, from Old English fearn, from Proto-West Germanic farn, from Proto-Indo-European pornóm, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
fernbird (English): Megalurus punctatus, an insectivorous bird native...
Definitions
- Megalurus punctatus, an insectivorous bird native...
Ancestry of “fernbird”, step by step
fernbird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fern
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fern | Any of a group of some twenty thousand species of... |
| 2 | Middle English | fern | fern plant of the division |
| 3 | Old English | fearn | fern |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | farn | fern |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pornóm | feather, wing; fern, leaf |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |