Where does “ivy” come from?

Ivy comes from Middle English ivi, Old English īfiġ, Proto-Germanic ibahs, and Proto-Indo-European (h₁)ebʰ-, a root of uncertain ultimate meaning referring to the climbing plant.

ivy (English): Any of several woody, climbing, or trailing...

Definitions

  1. Any of several woody, climbing, or trailing...

Ancestry of “ivy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishiviivy
2Old Englishīfiġivy
3Tagalogibigliking
4Proto-Germanicibahsivy
5Proto-Indo-European(h₁)ebʰ-climbing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (h₁)ebʰ-
ivy — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer