The story
- Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*kolamaisā
- Old English · inherited fromcolmāse“coalmouse”
- Middle English · inherited fromcolmose
- English todaycoalmouse
From Middle English colmose, collemase, from Old English colmāse (“coalmouse”), from Proto-West Germanic *kolamaisā, equivalent to coal + (tit)mouse. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Koolmeeske, Dutch koolmees, German Low German Kohlmeeske, German Kohlmeise.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.