English
ammer
Ammer comes from Old English amore ‘a kind of bird, probably the ammer’, from Proto-West Germanic *amaʀā ‘blackbird’, and ultimately from *amslā.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*amslā‘blackbird’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*amaʀā‘blackbird’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150amore‘a kind of bird, probably the ammer’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*amerereconstructed
- Englishtodayammer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*amslā‘blackbird’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*amaʀā‘blackbird’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150amore‘a kind of bird, probably the ammer’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*amerereconstructed
- Englishtodayammer
The story
Favored over *hammer due to the influence of its German cognate and synonym Ammer (‘bunting’) and its predecessors, Middle High German amer and Old High German amaro.
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *amslā
Today it means
noun The yellowhammer; yellow bunting; Emberiza citrinella.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *amslā / ammer