English
wishbone
From wish + bone.
Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to wish’
Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną ‘to wish’
Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan ‘to wish’
Old English wȳsċan ‘to wish’
Middle English wisshen ‘to want’
English wish
Proto-Germanic *bainaz ‘straight’
Proto-Germanic *bainą ‘bone, leg’
Proto-West Germanic *bain ‘bone’
Old English bān ‘bone’
Middle English bon ‘bone’
English bone
Today it means
noun A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / wishbone