ouzel (English)

Where does "ouzel" come from?

The word 'ouzel' traces its roots back to the Proto-Germanic term *amslǭ, a name for the blackbird that continues to live on in the modern German 'Amsel'. It evolved through Old English as 'ōsle' and Middle English as 'osel' before settling into its current form in English.

Full etymology tree

• ouzel (English), 'A Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula).'
  • inherited osel (Middle English), 'blackbird'
    • inherited ōsle (Old English), 'a (European) blackbird, an ouzel'
      • inherited *ą̄slā (Proto-West Germanic)
      • inherited *amslā (Proto-West Germanic), 'blackbird'
        • inherited *amslǭ (Proto-Germanic)
        • derived *h₂ems- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to give birth, beget'

Direct ancestors

• osel (Middle English)
• osle (Old English)
• Amsel (German)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris