Where does “skunkbird” come from?
skunkbird (English) comes from English skunk, from Abenaki segôgw, from Proto-Algonquian šeka·kwa, from Proto-Algonquian šek- — to urinate.
skunkbird (English): The bobolink
Ancestry of “skunkbird”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | skunk | Any of various small mammals, of the family... |
| 2 | Abenaki | segôgw | skunk |
| 3 | Proto-Algonquian | šeka·kwa | skunk |
| 4 | Proto-Algonquian | šek- | to urinate |