Where does “scarecrow” come from?
Scarecrow, a compound of English scare and crow, derives from Middle English crowe via Old Norse sker, from Proto-Germanic krēaną and Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek-.
scarecrow (English): An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in...
Definitions
- An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in...
Ancestry of “scarecrow”, step by step
scarecrow traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Crow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Crow | A member of a Native American tribe of southern... |
| 2 | Middle English | crowe | crow; A metal bar or lever; a crowbar;... |
| 3 | Middle English | crowen | To crow; To make other noises typical of birds;... |
| 4 | Old English | crāwe | crow |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | krāā | crow |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | krēǭ | crow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |
via English scare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scare | A minor fright; A cause of slight terror;... |
| 2 | Middle English | sker | Terror, fright |
| 3 | Middle English | skerren | to frighten |
| 4 | Old Norse | skirra | frighten; to frighten; to shrink away from, shun;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skirzijaną | to shoo, scare off |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |