Where does “heather” come from?

Heather comes from Middle English hather, Old English hǣþ, Proto-Germanic haiþī, and Proto-Indo-European kayt-, though the original meaning is uncertain.

heather (English): An evergreen plant, "Calluna vulgaris", with...

Definitions

  1. An evergreen plant, "Calluna vulgaris", with...

Ancestry of “heather”, step by step

heather traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English hathir

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhathir—
2Old Englishhǣþheath, untilled land, waste; heather; heath;...
3Proto-West Germanichaiþiuncultivated land, wasteland
4Proto-Germanichaiþīheath, wasteland
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱayt-forest, wasteland, pasture

via Middle English hather

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhather—
2Old Englishhǣddre—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱayt- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haiþī →Every word from Proto-West Germanic haiþi →