Where does “fruitcake” come from?

fruitcake (English) comes from English fruit, from French fruit, from Middle French fruict, from Old French fruit, from Latin frūctus, from Ancient Greek δῶρον, from Proto-Hellenic dṓron, from Proto-Indo-European déh₃rom — to give.

fruitcake (English): A cake containing dried fruits and, optionally,...

Definitions

  1. A cake containing dried fruits and, optionally,...

Ancestry of “fruitcake”, step by step

fruitcake traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English fruit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfruitIn general, a product of plant growth useful to...
2Frenchfruitfruit
3Middle Frenchfruictfruit
4Old Frenchfruitfruit
5Latinfrūctusenjoyed; having derived pleasure from
6Ancient Greekδῶρονgift; hand's width
7Proto-Hellenicdṓrongift
8Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃romgift
9Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₃-to give

via Dutch cake

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchcakepound cake
2EnglishcakeA rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of...
3Middle Englishcakecake; A cake prepared to cure disease or illness;...
4Old Norsekakacake
5Proto-Germanickakǭcake
6Proto-Indo-Europeangōg-round, ball-shaped object; lump; clump

via Dutch fruit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchfruitfruit produced by trees or bushes, or any sweet vegetable; only literal sense
2Middle Dutchfruut

Words derived from “fruitcake

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₃-