Where does “snakebird” come from?

snakebird (English) comes from English snake, from Middle English snake, from Old English snaca, from Proto-Germanic snakô, from Proto-Germanic snakaną, from Proto-Indo-European sneg- — to crawl, creeping thing.

snakebird (English): A darter: any bird of the genus "Anhinga"; A...

Definitions

  1. A darter: any bird of the genus "Anhinga"; A...

Ancestry of “snakebird”, step by step

snakebird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English snake

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnakeA legless reptile of the sub-order Serpentes with...
2Middle Englishsnakesnake; serpent
3Old Englishsnacasnake
4Proto-Germanicsnakôsnake
5Proto-Germanicsnakanąto crawl
6Proto-Indo-Europeansneg-to crawl, creeping thing

via English bird

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbirdA member of the class of animals Aves in the...
2Middle Englishbrida young bird, a bird in general; Alternative form...
3Old Englishbriddyoung bird, chick; chicken
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic snakaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic snakô →