Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “woodhen” come from?

woodhen (English) comes from English wood, from Middle English wode, from Old English wudu, from Old English widu, from Proto-Germanic widuz, from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- — forest, wood; tree, beam.

woodhen (English): "Gallirallus sylvestris", a species of bird in...

Definitions

  1. "Gallirallus sylvestris", a species of bird in...

Ancestry of “woodhen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwoodThe substance making up the central part of the...
2Middle Englishwodemadness, insanity, an overmastering emotion,...
3Old Englishwuduwood; forest, woods; tree
4Old Englishwiduwood, forest, grove; tree; timber
5Proto-Germanicwiduzwood
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwidʰu-forest, wood; tree, beam
Every word from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- →