Where does “schrub” come from?
schrub (Middle English) comes from Old English sċrybb, from Proto-West Germanic *skrubbiju, from Proto-Germanic *skrubbijō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb-, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.
Ancestry of “schrub”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | sċrybb | a shrub; shrubbery; underbrush |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *skrubbiju | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *skrubbijō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kerb- | rough, sharp |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
Words derived from “schrub”