Where does “snow pigeon” come from?

snow pigeon (English) comes from English pigeon, from English business, from Middle English busines, from Old English bisiġnes, from Old English -nes, from Proto-West Germanic -nassī, from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, from Proto-West Germanic -ī — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

snow pigeon (English): A species of pigeon, Columba leuconota, native to the rocky hills of central Asia

Definitions

  1. A species of pigeon, Columba leuconota, native to the rocky hills of central Asia

Ancestry of “snow pigeon”, step by step

snow pigeon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English pigeon

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpigeonOne of several birds of the family Columbidae,...
2EnglishbusinessA specific commercial enterprise or...
3Middle Englishbusines
4Old Englishbisiġnesbusiness, busyness
5Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
6Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
7Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
8Proto-West Germanic-ness, -th
9Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
10Proto-Indo-European-íh₂
11Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

via English snow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnowThe frozen, crystalline state of water that falls...
2Middle Englishsnowsnow; snow-white; The temperature where snow...
3Old Englishsnāwsnow
4Proto-West Germanicsnaiwsnow
5Proto-Germanicsnaiwazsnow
6Proto-Indo-Europeansnóygʷʰossnow
7Proto-Indo-Europeansneygʷʰ-to snow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂Every word from Old English -nesEvery word from Proto-Germanic -į̄
snow pigeon — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer