Where does “horsetail” come from?

horsetail (English) comes from English HORSE, from Middle English horse, from Old English hors, from Proto-West Germanic hross, from Proto-Germanic hrussą, from Proto-Indo-European ḱers- — to run.

horsetail (English): The tail of a horse; Any of various simple...

Definitions

  1. The tail of a horse; Any of various simple...

Ancestry of “horsetail”, step by step

horsetail traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English HORSE

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHORSEA poker variant consisting of five different...
2Middle EnglishhorseAlternative form of hors; Alternative form of...
3Old Englishhorshorse
4Proto-West Germanichrosshorse
5Proto-Germanichrussąhorse
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱers-to run

via English Tail

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishTailA Chinese constellation coinciding with the tail of Scorpius, one of the 28 lunar mansions and the tail of Azure Dragon
2Middle EnglishtaylA tail; The back side or reverse of a creature; A...
3Old Englishtæġltail
4Proto-Germanictagląhair; ponytail; hair of a tail; tail
5Proto-Indo-Europeandoḱ-hair of the tail
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeḱ-take; perceive

via Middle English horsetaile

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishhorsetaileAlternative form of horstaile
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱers-Every word from Proto-Germanic hrussąEvery word from Proto-West Germanic hross