Where does “tree” come from?
tree (Middle English) comes from Middle English tre, 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 — hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree.
tree (Middle English): Alternative form of tre
Definitions
- Alternative form of tre
Ancestry of “tree”, step by step
tree traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English tre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tre | A tree or a plant that resembles one |
| 2 | Middle English | plumtre | A plum tree or a similar tree |
| 3 | Old English | plumtreow | plum tree |
| 4 | Old English | trēow | tree, wood, timber, beam, log, stake, stick,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | treu | tree; wood |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | trewą | tree |
| 7 | English | doru | Alternative form of dory |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | δόρυ | wood, tree, stem; spear shaft, spear, lance,... |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | dóru | tree |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dóru | tree |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | drew- | hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree |
via Old English trēo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | trēo | — |