Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “tre” come from?

tre (Middle English) comes from Middle English plumtre, from Old English plumtreow, from Old English trēow, from Proto-West Germanic treu, from Proto-Germanic trewą, from English doru, from Ancient Greek δόρυ, from Proto-Hellenic dóru — hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree.

tre (Middle English): A tree or a plant that resembles one

Definitions

  1. A tree or a plant that resembles one

Ancestry of “tre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishplumtre—
2Old Englishplumtreow—
3Old Englishtrēowtree, wood, timber, beam, log, stake, stick,...
4Proto-West Germanictreutree; wood
5Proto-Germanictrewątree
6EnglishdoruAlternative form of dory
7Ancient Greekδόρυwood, tree, stem; spear shaft, spear, lance,...
8Proto-Hellenicdórutree
9Proto-Indo-Europeandórutree
10Proto-Indo-Europeandrew-hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree

Words derived from “tre”

  • true
  • tree
  • untrue
  • truism
  • treebeard
  • treeless
  • subtree
  • treetop
  • truely
  • treehouse
  • trew
  • untruly
  • quadtree
  • truing
  • octree
  • treelike
  • troo
  • rooftree
  • axletree
  • treelined
  • treeling
  • treebank
  • supertree
  • treewidth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European drew- →