dogwood的词源

英文词源

dogwood (n.): shrubs and small trees of the genus Cornus, 1610s, earlier dog-tree (1540s); the first element sometimes said to have been perhaps dag -- compare dagger, dag (v.) "to pierce or stab" (1630s, perhaps 15c.) -- the trees have hard, white wood that was used in making skewers; another name for it was skewer-wood. But another guess is that the tree was given the name in reference to its fruit, which was called dogberry from 1550s, and dog had implications of "cheap, inferior" (i.e. "fit for a dog").

dog词义不明，可能来自dagger, 匕首，短剑，因这种木材是良好的制矛材料，或来自dog，狗，差劲，用来形容这种灌木的浆果，比较gooseberry, bullfrog.

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：dogwood 词源，dogwood 含义。