Where does “robin redbreast” come from?
robin redbreast (English) comes from English redbreast, from English Red, from English rede, from Middle English reden, from Old English rǣdan, from Proto-West Germanic rādan, from Proto-Germanic rēdaną, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
robin redbreast (English): The European robin; Any robin
Definitions
- The European robin; Any robin
Ancestry of “robin redbreast”, step by step
robin redbreast traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English redbreast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | redbreast | Any of several unrelated birds that have a red... |
| 2 | English | Red | A Communist; A supporter of a sports team who... |
| 3 | English | rede | Help, advice, counsel; Decision, a plan; To... |
| 4 | Middle English | reden | to counsel, advise; to study; to read |
| 5 | Old English | rǣdan | to read, interpret; to counsel, advise; plot,... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | rādan | to advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaną | to decide, advise |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via English robin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | robin | Any of various passerine birds of the families... |
| 2 | Middle English | Robin | — |
| 3 | Old French | Robert | a Germanic (Old Frankish) borrowing |
| 4 | Frankish | berht | bright |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | berhtaz | bright, shining |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hrabnaz | raven |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |