Where does “snowbird” come from?
snowbird (English) comes from English snow, from Middle English snow, from Old English snāw, from Proto-West Germanic snaiw, from Proto-Germanic snaiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European snóygʷʰos, from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- — to snow.
snowbird (English): A bird, "Junco hyemalis", the dark-eyed junco; A...
Definitions
- A bird, "Junco hyemalis", the dark-eyed junco; A...
Ancestry of “snowbird”, step by step
snowbird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English snow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | snow | The frozen, crystalline state of water that falls... |
| 2 | Middle English | snow | snow; snow-white; The temperature where snow... |
| 3 | Old English | snāw | snow |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | snaiw | snow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | snaiwaz | snow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | snóygʷʰos | snow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sneygʷʰ- | to snow |