redwing (English)

Where does "redwing" come from?

The English noun 'redwing' is formed as a compound of 'red' and 'wing'[1]. The first element traces back through Middle English 'red' and Old English 'rēad' to Proto-Germanic '*raudaz' and ultimately the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁rewdʰ-'[2][4][5][10]. The second element comes from Middle English 'winge' and Old Norse 'vængr', meaning 'wing of a flying animal, wing of a building', which stems from Proto-Germanic '*wēingijaz'[3][6].

Open questions

The origin of Old Norse 'vængr' is uncertain, with its derivation from Proto-Germanic being a possible connection. [3] [8]

Full etymology tree

redwing (English), 'A small thrush, Turdus iliacus, native to Eurasia, with a white eye stripe and red under-wing feathers.'
- compound red (English), 'Of a red hue.'
  - inherited red (Middle English), 'red, crimson, scarlet (in color)'
    - inherited read (Old English), 'red'
      - inherited *raud (Proto-West Germanic), 'red'
        inherited *raudaz (Proto-Germanic), 'red'
        inherited *h₁rowdʰós (Proto-Indo-European), 'red'
        derived *h₁rewdʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'red'
- compound wing (English), 'An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly.'
  - inherited winge (Middle English), 'A wing (arm enabling flight; used in cooking and medicine).'
    - borrowed vængr (Old Norse), 'wing'
      - derived *wēingijaz (Proto-Germanic)
        derived *h₂weh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to blow (of wind)'

Ancestors

red (English)
wing (English)

Sources

Updated October 2026

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