Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sagebrush” come from?

Sagebrush is a compound of sage, from Middle English and Old French sage (wise person), ultimately from Latin sapere (to taste or know), and brush, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥stís.

sagebrush (English): Any of several North American aromatic shrubs of...

Definitions

  1. Any of several North American aromatic shrubs of...

Ancestry of “sagebrush”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBrush—
2Middle Englishbrusshe—
3Old Frenchbroisse—
4Vulgar Latinbrustia—
5Icelandicburstibrush
6Proto-Germanicburstizbristle
7Proto-Germanicbʰurstís—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰr̥s-tí-s—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰers-top, tip, point
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰers- →