Where does “mockingbird” come from?
Mockingbird combines English mock with English bird, which derives from Old English bridd from Proto-Germanic brūdiz, while mock comes from Middle Dutch mocken.
mockingbird (English): A long-tailed American songbird of the Mimidae...
Definitions
- A long-tailed American songbird of the Mimidae...
Ancestry of “mockingbird”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | mocking | Present participle and gerund of mock; mockery;... |
| 2 | English | mock | An imitation, usually of lesser quality; Mockery,... |
| 3 | Middle English | mokken | — |
| 4 | Old French | mocquer | — |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | mocken | to mumble |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | mukkijaną | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mūg- | — |