Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “oxpecker” come from?

oxpecker (English) comes from English ox, from German Ochse, from Middle High German ohse, from Old High German ohso, from Proto-West Germanic ohsō, from Proto-Germanic uhsô, from Proto-Indo-European uksḗn, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug-s-ḗn.

oxpecker (English): Either of two species of passerine bird in the...

Definitions

  1. Either of two species of passerine bird in the...

Ancestry of “oxpecker”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoxAn adult castrated male of cattle; Any bovine...
2GermanOchseox
3Middle High Germanohse—
4Old High Germanohsoox
5Proto-West Germanicohsōox
6Proto-Germanicuhsôox
7Proto-Indo-Europeanuksḗnbull
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ug-s-ḗn—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug-s-ḗn →