Where does “woolhead” come from?

woolhead (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

woolhead (English): A species of duck, the bufflehead

Definitions

  1. A species of duck, the bufflehead

Ancestry of “woolhead”, step by step

woolhead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English head

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English Wool

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWoolOS grid ref SY8486
2Middle Englishwollewool coat of sheep, especially when used to make fabric
3Old Englishwullwool
4Proto-West Germanicwulluwool
5Proto-Germanicwullōwool
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂wool
7Proto-Indo-European-nósCreates verbal adjectives from roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from English -yEvery word from Old English -iġ