Where does “moorbird” come from?

moorbird (English) comes from English Moor, from Middle English moren, from Old English mārian, from Proto-Germanic mairōną, from Proto-Indo-European mer- — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.

moorbird (English): The red grouse

Definitions

  1. The red grouse

Ancestry of “moorbird”, step by step

moorbird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Moor

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMoorA member of an ancient Berber people from...
2Middle Englishmoren—
3Old Englishmārian—
4Proto-Germanicmairōnąto moor, fasten to
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

via English bird

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbirdA member of the class of animals Aves in the...
2Middle Englishbrida young bird, a bird in general; Alternative form...
3Old Englishbriddyoung bird, chick; chicken
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mer- →Every word from Proto-Germanic mairōną →Every word from Old English mārian →
moorbird — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer