Where does “pilfink” come from?

pilfink (Swedish) comes from Swedish pil, from Old Norse píla, from Latin pīlum, from Proto-Italic pistlom, from Proto-Indo-European pis-tlo-, from Proto-Indo-European peys- — to grind, to crush.

pilfink (Swedish): Eurasian tree sparrow, Passer montanus

Definitions

  1. Eurasian tree sparrow, Passer montanus

Ancestry of “pilfink”, step by step

pilfink traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish pil

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishpilarrow, the weapon; arrow, the symbol; dart, the...
2Old Norsepíla—
3Latinpīluma pounder, pestle
4Proto-Italicpistlom—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpis-tlo-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeys-to grind, to crush

via Swedish fink

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishfinka finch
2Middle Low Germanvinke—
3Old Saxon*fink—
4Proto-Germanicfinkizfinch
5Proto-Indo-European(s)pingoschaffinch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peys- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pis-tlo- →Every word from Proto-Italic pistlom →