Etymology

shamrock

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Today it means: The trefoil leaf of any small clover, especially Trifolium repens, or such a leaf from a clover-like plant, commonly used as a symbol of Ireland. Full definition →

Irish seamróg ← Old Irish semróc ← Proto-Celtic *semarā
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*semh₁r-
  2. Proto-Celtic · derived from*semarā
  3. Old Irish · derived fromsemróc
  4. Irish · borrowed fromseamróg
  5. English todayshamrock

From Irish seamróg, from Old Irish semróc, diminutive of semar, semair (“clover”), from Proto-Celtic *semarā, *semaris (compare Gaulish uisumaris (“clover”)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *semh₁r-, *smeh₁r-. Related to Old Norse smári (“clover”) and possibly Georgian სამყურა (samq̇ura, “clover”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.