Where does “firtree” come from?

firtree (English) comes from English fir, from Middle English firre, from Old English fyrh, from Proto-Germanic furhu, from Proto-Germanic furhō, from Proto-Indo-European pérkus, from Proto-Indo-European perkʷ- — oak.

firtree (English): A fir; The root of a very-high-temperature...

Definitions

  1. A fir; The root of a very-high-temperature...

Ancestry of “firtree”, step by step

firtree traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English fir

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfirA conifer of the genus "Abies"; Any pinaceous...
2Middle Englishfirrefir (Abies spp.)
3Old Englishfyrhfir, pine
4Proto-Germanicfurhufir; pine
5Proto-Germanicfurhōfir; pine; forest
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpérkusoak
7Proto-Indo-Europeanperkʷ-oak

via English tree

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtreeA perennial woody plant, not exactly defined, but...
2Middle EnglishtreA tree or a plant that resembles one
Every word from Proto-Indo-European perkʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pérkus →Every word from Proto-Germanic furhō →