Etymology

hotbed

H4O1T1B3E1D2

Today it means: A low bed of earth covered with glass, and heated with rotting manure, used for the germination of seeds and the growth of tender plants, like a miniature hothouse. Full definition →

English bed ← Middle English bed ← Old English bedd
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*keHy-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kéHidʰeti
  4. Proto-Indo-European*kéHidos
  5. Proto-Germanic*haitaz
  6. Proto-West Germanic*hait
  7. Old Englishhāt
  8. Middle Englishhot
  9. Englishhot
  10. Proto-Germanic*badją
  11. Proto-West Germanic*badi
  12. Old Englishbedd
  13. Middle Englishbed
  14. Englishbed
  15. English todayhotbed

From hot + bed.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.