Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “paintbrush” come from?

Paintbrush derives from English paint and brush, with paint coming from Old French paincter, itself from Latin pingere, meaning to cover with color or apply pigment.

paintbrush (English): A thin brush for applying paint

Definitions

  1. A thin brush for applying paint

Ancestry of “paintbrush”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBrush—
2Middle Englishbrusshe—
3Old Frenchbroisse—
4Vulgar Latinbrustia—
5Icelandicburstibrush
6Proto-Germanicburstizbristle
7Proto-Germanicbʰurstís—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰr̥s-tí-s—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰers-top, tip, point
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰers- →