Where does “icebox” come from?

icebox (English) comes from English ice, from Middle English is, from Old English īs, from Proto-West Germanic īs, from Proto-Germanic īsą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- — ice, frost.

icebox (English): A box or compartment containing ice; A...

Definitions

  1. A box or compartment containing ice; A...

Ancestry of “icebox”, step by step

icebox traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ice

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishiceWater in frozen form; Any frozen volatile...
2Middle Englishisice; That which is short-lived like ice; icy...
3Old Englishīsice
4Proto-West Germanicīsice
5Proto-Germanicīsąice
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁eyH-ice, frost

via English box

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboxSenses relating to a three-dimensional object or...
2Middle EnglishboxA cylindrical jar; A case, container or strongbox
3Old Englishboxbox; box tree
4Proto-West Germanic*buhsābox, casket

Words derived from “icebox”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic īsą →Every word from Proto-West Germanic īs →