Where does “parrotfeather” come from?

parrotfeather (English) comes from English feather, from German feder, from Middle High German vëdere, from Old High German fedara, from Proto-West Germanic feþru, from Proto-Germanic feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.

parrotfeather (English): "Myriophyllum aquaticum", a flowering plant

Definitions

  1. "Myriophyllum aquaticum", a flowering plant

Ancestry of “parrotfeather”, step by step

parrotfeather traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English feather

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfeatherA branching, hair-like structure that grows on...
2Germanfederfeather
3Middle High Germanvëderefeather
4Old High Germanfedarafeather
5Proto-West Germanicfeþrufeather
6Proto-Germanicfeþrōfeather
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpéth₂r̥wing; feather
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly

via English Parrot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishParrotA kind of bird, many species of which are colorful and able to mimic human speech, of the order Psittaciformes or (narrowly) of the family Psittacidae
2Middle Frenchperrot—
3Middle Frenchperroquet—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥ →Every word from Proto-Germanic feþrō →