Where does “pineweed” come from?

pineweed (English) comes from English weed, from Middle English weed, from Old English wēod, from Proto-West Germanic *weud — weed (unwanted plant).

pineweed (English): A low, bushy, nearly leafless herb (Hypericum gentianoides), common in sandy soil in the eastern United States

Definitions

  1. A low, bushy, nearly leafless herb (Hypericum gentianoides), common in sandy soil in the eastern United States

Ancestry of “pineweed”, step by step

pineweed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English weed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishweedAny plant regarded as unwanted at the place...
2Middle Englishweed—
3Old Englishwēodweed
4Proto-West Germanic*weudweed (unwanted plant)

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-West Germanic *weud →Every word from Old English wēod →Every word from Middle English weed →