Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “warbird” come from?

warbird (English) comes from English War, from Middle English werre, from Old Norse verri, from Proto-Germanic wirsizô, from Proto-Indo-European wers-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

warbird (English): An aircraft formerly operated by the military,...

Definitions

  1. An aircraft formerly operated by the military,...

Ancestry of “warbird”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWar—
2Middle EnglishwerreWar in general; the practice of fighting between...
3Old Norseverricomparative degree of illr, worse; worse
4Proto-Germanicwirsizôcomparative degree of *ubilaz; worse
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwers-to wipe; peak, height
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →