Where does “titmouse” come from?

titmouse (English) comes from Middle English titmose, from Middle English mose, from Old English māse, from Proto-West Germanic maisā, from Proto-Germanic maisǭ — titmouse, chickadee.

titmouse (English): Any small passerine bird of the family Paridae,...

Definitions

  1. Any small passerine bird of the family Paridae,...

Ancestry of “titmouse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtitmosetitmouse
2Middle Englishmosea small bird, a tit, titmouse, coalmouse
3Old Englishmāsetitmouse; small bird
4Proto-West Germanicmaisātitmouse, chickadee
5Proto-Germanicmaisǭtitmouse, chickadee
Every word from Proto-Germanic maisǭ →Every word from Proto-West Germanic maisā →Every word from Old English māse →