Where does “pinefinch” come from?

pinefinch (English) comes from English finch, from Middle English fynch, from Old English finċ, from Proto-Germanic finkiz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pingos — chaffinch.

pinefinch (English): A small American bird (Spinus spinus, syn. Chrysomitris spinus); the pine siskin or American siskin

Definitions

  1. A small American bird (Spinus spinus, syn. Chrysomitris spinus); the pine siskin or American siskin

Ancestry of “pinefinch”, step by step

pinefinch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English finch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfinchAny bird of the family Fringillidae, seed-eating...
2Middle Englishfynchfinch
3Old Englishfinċfinch
4Proto-Germanicfinkizfinch
5Proto-Indo-European(s)pingoschaffinch

via English pine

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpineAny coniferous tree of the genus "Pinus"; Any...
2Middle EnglishpyneA painful punishment; torture
3Old Englishpine—
4Proto-Germanic*pīnā—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pingos →Every word from Proto-Germanic finkiz →Every word from Old English finċ →