Where does “thistle” come from?
Thistle comes from Old English þistel, from Proto-Germanic þistilaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)teyg-.
thistle (English): Any of several perennial composite plants,...
Definitions
- Any of several perennial composite plants,...
Ancestry of “thistle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | þistel | Alternative form of thistel |
| 2 | Old English | þistel | thistle |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *þistil | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þistilaz | thistle |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teyg- | to be sharp; to sting |
Words derived from “thistle”