Where does “shrubbish” come from?
shrubbish (English) comes from English shrub, from Middle English schrub, from Old English sċrybb, from Proto-West Germanic *skrubbiju, from Proto-Germanic *skrubbijō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb-, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.
Ancestry of “shrubbish”, step by step
shrubbish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shrub
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shrub | A woody plant smaller than a tree, and usually... |
| 2 | Middle English | schrub | shrub, bush |
| 3 | Old English | sċrybb | a shrub; shrubbery; underbrush |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *skrubbiju | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *skrubbijō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kerb- | rough, sharp |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |