tree (English)

Where does "tree" come from?

The English verb 'tree' descends from the noun 'tree', which traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *dóru meaning 'tree'[1]. This ancient term evolved through the Proto-Germanic form *trewą and the Proto-West Germanic *treu[1][5]. It appeared in Old English as 'trēow', referring to timber, wood, or a log, before transitioning into Middle English as 'tre'[1]. Over time, the noun displaced competitors like 'beem' and the borrowed 'arbre' to become the standard term for a woody plant[1]. The verbal usage, meaning to chase an animal or fit something with a shoe tree, represents a later functional shift based on the noun's original association with wood and timber structures[1].

Open questions

Some scholars propose that the Proto-Indo-European root is a deadjectival noun derived from a term meaning hard or firm. [3]

Full etymology tree

tree (English), 'To chase (an animal or person) up a tree.'
- inherited tree (Middle English), 'alternative form of tre'
  - inherited treow (Old English), 'tree'
    - inherited *treu (Proto-West Germanic), 'tree'
      - inherited *trewą (Proto-Germanic), 'tree'
        derived *dréwom (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *dóru (Proto-Indo-European), 'tree'
        derived *deru- (Proto-Indo-European)

Ancestors

tre (Middle English)
treo (Old English)
*treu (Proto-West Germanic)
*trewą (Proto-Germanic)
*dóru (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

dru (Albanian)
δόρυ (Ancient Greek)
teer (Dutch)
𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌿 (Gothic)
tré (Icelandic)
tre (Norwegian Nynorsk)
дерево (Russian)
दारु (Sanskrit)
træ (Scanian)
trä (Swedish)
or (Tocharian B)
dâr (Welsh)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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