Etymology

tumbleweed

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Today it means: Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots once dry, forming a light, rolling mass which is driven by the wind from place to place; as Russian thistle, wild indigo, witch grass, Amaranthus albus, etc. Full definition →

English weed ← Middle English weed ← Old English wēod
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic*tūmōną
  2. Proto-West Germanic*tumbōn
  3. Old Englishtumbian
  4. Middle Englishtumben
  5. Middle Englishtumblen
  6. Englishtumble
  7. Proto-West Germanic*weud
  8. Old Englishwēod
  9. Middle Englishweed
  10. Englishweed
  11. English todaytumbleweed

From tumble + weed.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.