Where does “treebeard” come from?
Treebeard is a compound of English tree (from Middle English trow, tre, from Proto-Germanic trewwō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰardʰeh₂ or dóru meaning wood) and beard.
treebeard (English): A pendulous branching lichen, "Usnea barbata",...
Definitions
- A pendulous branching lichen, "Usnea barbata",...
Ancestry of “treebeard”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Beard | — |
| 2 | Middle English | berd | beard |
| 3 | Old English | beard | beard |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bard | beard |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bardaz | beard |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰardʰéh₂ | beard |