Where does “fernroot” come from?

fernroot (English) comes from English root, from Middle English rote, from Old French rote, from Latin rupta, from Latin ruptus, from Latin rumpō, from Proto-Indo-European Hrunépti, from Proto-Indo-European Hrewp- — to tear out, dig out, open, acquire.

fernroot (English): Pteridium esculentum, a plant of New Zealand

Definitions

  1. Pteridium esculentum, a plant of New Zealand

Ancestry of “fernroot”, step by step

fernroot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English root

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrootThe part of a plant, generally underground, that...
2Middle EnglishroteThe root; The foundation or base of a...
3Old Frenchroteroute, path
4Latinruptanominative feminine singular of ruptus;...
5Latinruptusbroken; ruptured, burst
6Latinrumpōto break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrunéptito be breaking
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrewp-to break, tear
9Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrew-to tear out, dig out, open, acquire

via English fern

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfernAny of a group of some twenty thousand species of...
2Middle Englishfernfern plant of the division
3Old Englishfearnfern
4Proto-West Germanicfarnfern
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpornómfeather, wing; fern, leaf
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hrew-