Where does “murderbird” come from?
murderbird (English) comes from English murder, from Middle English murder, from Middle English murthre, from Old English morþor, from Proto-Germanic murþrą, from Proto-Indo-European mrtro-, from Proto-Indo-European mer- — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.
murderbird (English): The butcherbird, the shrike
Definitions
- The butcherbird, the shrike
Ancestry of “murderbird”, step by step
murderbird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English murder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | murder | The crime of deliberately killing another person... |
| 2 | Middle English | murder | — |
| 3 | Middle English | murthre | murder |
| 4 | Old English | morþor | murder; great sin or crime, enormity |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | murþrą | murder |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mrtro- | murder, death; killing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |