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
- A thin brush for applying paint
Ancestry of “paintbrush”, step by step
paintbrush traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Brush
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Brush | An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair |
| 2 | Middle English | brusshe | — |
| 3 | Old French | broisse | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | brustia | — |
| 5 | Icelandic | bursti | brush |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burstiz | bristle |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | bʰurstís | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥s-tí-s | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰers- | top, tip, point |