Where does “зимзелен” come from?

зимзелен (Macedonian) comes from Macedonian зелен, from Proto-Slavic zelenъ, from Proto-Slavic zelti, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.

зимзелен (Macedonian): evergreen

Definitions

  1. evergreen

Ancestry of “зимзелен”, step by step

зимзелен traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Macedonian зелен

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Macedonianзеленgreen
2Proto-Slaviczelenъgreen
3Proto-Slaviczeltiperhaps to hurt, to sting, to inflict trauma
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

via Macedonian зиме

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Macedonianзимеin winter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃-Every word from Proto-Slavic zeltiEvery word from Proto-Slavic zelenъ