Where does “searwood” come from?
searwood (English) comes from English sear, from Old French serre, from Old French serrer, from Vulgar Latin serrare, from Latin serāre, from Latin sēra, from Latin serō, from Latin sērus — to ache; to fester; wound; injury.
searwood (English): wood dry enough to burn
Definitions
- wood dry enough to burn
Ancestry of “searwood”, step by step
searwood traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sear | Dry; withered, especially of vegetation; To char,... |
| 2 | Old French | serre | — |
| 3 | Old French | serrer | to grip tightly; to shut |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | serrare | close, shut; to close, shut; inflection of... |
| 5 | Latin | serāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | sēra | a bar or bolt for fastening doors |
| 7 | Latin | serō | to sow, plant |
| 8 | Latin | sērus | late, too late |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | swerjos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | swer-yo-s | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | swer- | to ache; to fester; wound; injury |
via English Wood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wood | An English topographic surname for someone who lived in or near a wood |
| 2 | English | Frog | Alternative form of frog |
| 3 | Portuguese | froco | flock |
| 4 | Latin | floccus | tuft, wisp of wool |
| 5 | Frankish | flokko | down, wool, flock |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *flukkô | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |