Where does “mistletoebird” come from?
mistletoebird (English) comes from English mistletoe, from Middle English mistelto, from Old English misteltān, from Old English tān, from Proto-West Germanic *tain, from Proto-Germanic tainaz, from Proto-Indo-European doynos.
mistletoebird (English): An Australian flowerpecker, Dicaeum...
Definitions
- An Australian flowerpecker, Dicaeum...
Ancestry of “mistletoebird”, step by step
mistletoebird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mistletoe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mistletoe | Any of several hemiparasitic evergreen plants of... |
| 2 | Middle English | mistelto | European mistletoe; hardened berries of mistletoe... |
| 3 | Old English | misteltān | mistletoe |
| 4 | Old English | tān | sprig, twig; twig, switch |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *tain | twig |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tainaz | rod; twig; straw; lot |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | doynos | — |