Where does “windlestraw” come from?
windlestraw (English) comes from English straw, from Middle English straw, from Old English strēaw, from Proto-West Germanic strau, from Proto-Germanic strawą, from Proto-Indo-European strew-, from Proto-Indo-European sterh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European ster- — sterile, infertile.
windlestraw (English): A grass used for making ropes or for plaiting,...
Definitions
- A grass used for making ropes or for plaiting,...
Ancestry of “windlestraw”, step by step
windlestraw traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English straw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | straw | A dried stalk of a cereal plant; Such dried... |
| 2 | Middle English | straw | The remaining plant material after cultivation;... |
| 3 | Old English | strēaw | straw |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | strau | straw |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | strawą | straw |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | strew- | to spread, to strew |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sterh₃- | to spread, extend, stretch out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |