Where does “snowfinch” come from?

snowfinch (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.

snowfinch (English): Any of the passerine bird genus Montifringilla

Definitions

  1. Any of the passerine bird genus Montifringilla

Ancestry of “snowfinch”, step by step

snowfinch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

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

via English finch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfinchAny bird of the family Fringillidae, seed-eating...
2Middle Englishfynchfinch
3Old Englishfinċfinch
4Proto-Germanicfinkizfinch
5Proto-Indo-European(s)pingoschaffinch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European snóygʷʰosEvery word from Proto-Germanic snaiwaz
snowfinch — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer