Where does “needlegrass” come from?

needlegrass (English) comes from English grass, from Middle English gras, from Old English græs, from Proto-West Germanic gras, from Proto-Germanic grasą, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.

needlegrass (English): Any of several genera of Poaceae grasses

Definitions

  1. Any of several genera of Poaceae grasses

Ancestry of “needlegrass”, step by step

needlegrass traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English grass

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgrassAny plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by...
2Middle EnglishgrasA grass; Any plant; especially a herbaceous one;...
3Old Englishgræsgrass
4Proto-West Germanicgrasgrass
5Proto-Germanicgrasągrass
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow

via English needle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishneedleA fine, sharp implement usually for piercing such...
2Middle Englishnedleneedle
3Old Englishnǣdl
4Proto-Germanic*nāþlu
5Proto-Germanicnēþlōneedle
6Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₁-to spin (thread), to sew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁-Every word from Proto-Germanic grasąEvery word from Proto-West Germanic gras