Where does “starthistle” come from?

starthistle (English) comes from English star, from Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra, from Proto-West Germanic sterrō, from Proto-Germanic sternô, from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eHs- — to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth.

starthistle (English): Any of the genus "Centaurea" of herbaceous...

Definitions

  1. Any of the genus "Centaurea" of herbaceous...

Ancestry of “starthistle”, step by step

starthistle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English star

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstarAny small luminous dot appearing in the cloudless...
2Middle Englishsterrestar
3Old Englishsteorrastar
4Proto-West Germanicsterrō
5Proto-Germanicsternôstar
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂stḗrstar
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eHs-to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth

via English thistle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthistleAny of several perennial composite plants,...
2Middle EnglishþistelAlternative form of thistel
3Old Englishþistelthistle
4Proto-West Germanic*þistilthistle
5Proto-Germanicþistilazthistle
6Proto-Indo-European(s)teyg-to be sharp; to sting
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eHs-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗrEvery word from Proto-Germanic sternô