Where does “Schwarzspecht” come from?

Schwarzspecht (German) comes from German Schwärz, from Middle High German swarz, from Old High German swarz, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.

Schwarzspecht (German): black woodpecker

Definitions

  1. black woodpecker

Ancestry of “Schwarzspecht”, step by step

Schwarzspecht traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Schwärz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwärz—
2Middle High Germanswarz—
3Old High Germanswarzblack
4Proto-West Germanicswartblack
5Proto-Germanicswartazblack
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black

via German specht

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspechtpicid member of the
2Middle High Germanspecht—
3Old High Germanspeht—
4Proto-West Germanicspihtwoodpecker
5Proto-Germanicspihtazwoodpecker
6Proto-Indo-European(s)peyk-name of a bird; woodpecker; magpie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swartaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic swart →