Where does “underwood” come from?
Underwood comes from Middle English underwood, from Old English underwood, combining under- with wudu (wood), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European weydʰ- meaning to separate or divide.
underwood (English): Underbrush, undergrowth
Ancestry of “underwood”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Wood | — |
| 2 | English | Frog | Alternative form of frog |
| 3 | Portuguese | froco | flock |
| 4 | Latin | floccus | tuft, wisp of wool |
| 5 | Frankish | flokko | down, wool, flock |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *flukkô | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |