The story
- Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
- Proto-Indo-European*dwi-
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁weydʰh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*(h₁)wéydʰ(h₁)us
- Proto-Germanic*widuz
- Proto-West Germanic*widu
- Old Englishwidu
- Old Englishwudu
- Middle Englishwode
- Englishwood
- Proto-Germanic*pikkōną
- Proto-West Germanic*pikkōn
- Old English*piccian
- Middle Englishpiken
- Middle Englishpekken
- Middle Englishpekker
- Englishpecker
- English todaywoodpecker
From wood + pecker. Compare Middle English wod spek (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodehake (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodewale (“woodpecker”). Displaced speight.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.