Where does “scrubwren” come from?

scrubwren (English) comes from English Wren, from Middle English wrenne, from Old English wrenna, from Proto-West Germanic *wrandijō.

scrubwren (English): Any of various small, mainly insectivorous...

Definitions

  1. Any of various small, mainly insectivorous...

Ancestry of “scrubwren”, step by step

scrubwren traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Wren

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWrenA female member of the Royal Navy
2Middle Englishwrennewren
3Old Englishwrennawren
4Proto-West Germanic*wrandijō—

via English scrub

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscrubMean; dirty; contemptible; scrubby; One who...
2Middle Englishscrobbengroom a horse with a currycomb
3Middle Dutchschrobbenclean by scrubbing
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *wrandijō →Every word from Old English wrenna →Every word from Middle English wrenne →