Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thimbleberry” come from?

thimbleberry (English) comes from English thimble, from Middle English thymbyll, from Old English þȳmel, from Old English þūma, from Proto-West Germanic þūmō, from Proto-Germanic þūmô, from Proto-Indo-European tūm-, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.

thimbleberry (English): Rubus parviflorus, a species of "Rubus", native...

Definitions

  1. Rubus parviflorus, a species of "Rubus", native...

Ancestry of “thimbleberry”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthimbleA pitted, now usually metal, cap for the fingers,...
2Middle Englishthymbyllthimble
3Old Englishþȳmelthumbstall; fingerstall; thimble
4Old Englishþūmathumb
5Proto-West Germanicþūmōthumb
6Proto-Germanicþūmôthumb
7Proto-Indo-Europeantūm-to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be...
8Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →