Where does “ryegrass” come from?
Ryegrass comes from English rye and English grass, with grass tracing to Middle English gras, Old English gærs, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European gʰredʰ-.
ryegrass (English): Any of several species of tufted grasses of the...
Definitions
- Any of several species of tufted grasses of the...
Ancestry of “ryegrass”, step by step
ryegrass traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rye
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rye | A grain used extensively in Europe for making... |
| 2 | Old English | ryġe | rye |
| 3 | Old English | lēah | meadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lauh | clearing; meadow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lauhaz | clearing; meadow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lówkos | clearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |
via English grass
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grass | Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by... |
| 2 | Middle English | gras | A grass; Any plant; especially a herbaceous one;... |
| 3 | Old English | græs | grass |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gras | grass |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grasą | grass |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |