Where does “puffin” come from?

puffin (English) comes from Middle English poffin, from English puff, from Middle English puff, from Old English pyf — a blast of wind, puff.

puffin (English): The young of the Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), especially eaten as food

Definitions

  1. The young of the Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), especially eaten as food

Ancestry of “puffin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpoffin—
2EnglishpuffA sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath...
3Middle Englishpuff—
4Old Englishpyfa blast of wind, puff

Words derived from “puffin”

Every word from Old English pyf →