Where does “goosedown” come from?

goosedown (English) comes from English Down, from Middle English doun, from Old English dūn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnā, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

goosedown (English): down from a goose

Definitions

  1. down from a goose

Ancestry of “goosedown”, step by step

goosedown traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Down

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDownusually known as County Down
2Middle Englishdoundown
3Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
4Proto-Germanic*dūnā—
5Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English goose

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgooseAny of various grazing waterfowl of the family...
2Middle Englishgoosgoose; The meat or corpse of a goose; a dead...
3Old Englishgōsgoose
4Proto-Germanicgansgoose
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰans-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnom →Every word from Proto-Germanic *dūnā →