Where does “fig tree” come from?
fig tree (English) comes from Middle English figge tre, from Middle English tre, from Middle English plumtre, from Old English plumtreow, from Old English trēow, from Proto-West Germanic treu, from Proto-Germanic trewą, from English doru — hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree.
fig tree (English): Any tree that bears figs
Ancestry of “fig tree”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | figge tre | A fig tree |
| 2 | Middle English | tre | A tree or a plant that resembles one |
| 3 | Middle English | plumtre | — |
| 4 | Old English | plumtreow | — |
| 5 | Old English | trēow | tree, wood, timber, beam, log, stake, stick,... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | treu | tree; wood |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | trewą | tree |
| 8 | English | doru | Alternative form of dory |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | δόρυ | wood, tree, stem; spear shaft, spear, lance,... |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | dóru | tree |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dóru | tree |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | drew- | hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree |