English

firetail

From fire + tail.

A compound of fire + tail

Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥

…

Proto-Germanic *fuïr

Proto-West Germanic *fuir

Old English fȳr ‘fire’

Middle English fyr

English fire

Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to tear, fray, shred’

…

Proto-Germanic *taglą ‘hair, fiber’

Proto-West Germanic *tagl

Old English tæġel

Middle English tail

English tail

Today it means

noun Any Australian finch of the genus Stagonopleura.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / firetail