Etymology

winterbourne

win·ter·bourne
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Today it means: A stream that only flows in winter or after wet weather, particularly in an area rich in limestone. Full definition →

Old English winterburna ← Proto-Germanic *wintruz ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁-
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winterbourne · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰrewh₁-“to boil; to brew”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wintruz
  3. Old English · inherited fromwinterburna“stream that is full in winter”
  4. English todaywinterbourne

From winter + bourne (“seasonal brook or stream”), partly also from the placenames Winterborne, Winterbourne, which are derived from Old English winterburna (“stream that is full in winter”), from winter (from Proto-Germanic *wintruz, further etymology uncertain) + burna (“stream”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”)). The Old English word appears to have survived only in placenames.

Winterbourne · proper noun2

  1. Old English · derived fromWinterburna
  2. English todayWinterbourne

From Old English Winterburna < winter + burna (“stream”), 'the stream that flows in winter'.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishwinterburna all →

Winterburn

Proto-Germanic*wintruz all →

winter

Proto-Indo-European*bʰrewh₁- all →

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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.