Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hawthorn” come from?

Hawthorn comes from Middle English hawthorn, from Old English hagaþorn, from Proto-Germanic haguþurnuz, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ter-, meaning to cross or pierce, which also gave rise to the thorn element through Proto-Germanic þurnuz and Proto-Indo-European tr̥nós.

hawthorn (English): Any of various shrubs and small trees of the...

Definitions

  1. Any of various shrubs and small trees of the...

Ancestry of “hawthorn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHaw—
2Old Englishhagaan enclosure, a fenced-in area, a yard
3Old Englishwīcdwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;...
4Germanwitz—
5Middle High Germanwitz—
6Old High Germanwizzi—
7Proto-West Germanicwītīpunishment
8Proto-Germanicwitjąknowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit
9Proto-Germanic*witaną—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanwóydeto have seen, to know
11Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “hawthorn”

  • hawthorny
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →