Where does “woodruff” come from?

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

woodruff (English): "Galium odoratum", an aromatic herb

Definitions

  1. "Galium odoratum", an aromatic herb

Ancestry of “woodruff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwudurofewoodruff (Galium odoratum)
2Old Englishwuduwood; forest, woods; tree
3Old Englishwiduwood, forest, grove; tree; timber
4Proto-Germanicwiduzwood
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwidʰu-forest, wood; tree, beam
Every word from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- →Every word from Proto-Germanic widuz →Every word from Old English widu →