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
- Any of various shrubs and small trees of the...
Ancestry of “hawthorn”, step by step
hawthorn traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Haw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Haw | A river in the US state of North Carolina |
| 2 | Old English | haga | an enclosure, a fenced-in area, a yard |
| 3 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 4 | German | witz | joke |
| 5 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 6 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |
via English thorn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thorn | A sharp protective spine of a plant; Any shrub or... |
| 2 | Middle English | þorn | Alternative form of thorn |
| 3 | Old English | þorn | thorn; thorny bush; the runic character ᚦ; the... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þorn | thorn, briar |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þurnuz | thorn, briar |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tr̥nós | sharp, stiff |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |
via Middle English hawthorn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hawthorn | A hawthorn or similar tree or shrub |
| 2 | Old English | hagaþorn | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | haguþurnuz | hawthorn |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | haguz | Alternative form of *hagô; fence, enclosure,... |