Where does “wren” come from?

Wren derives from Middle English wrenne, from Old English wrenna, from Proto-Germanic wrandijô, a bird name of uncertain ultimate origin.

wren (English): Any member of a mainly New World passerine bird...

Definitions

  1. Any member of a mainly New World passerine bird...

Ancestry of “wren”, step by step

wren traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English wrenne

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwrennewren
2Old Englishwrennawren
3Proto-West Germanic*wrandijō—

via Middle English wranne

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwranneAlternative form of wrenne
2Old Englishwrennewren
3Proto-Germanicwrandijôwren
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *wrandijō →Every word from Old English wrenna →Every word from Middle English wrenne →