Thrush
/θrʌʃ/noun
A common songbird, or a fungal infection affecting the skin or mouth.
Did you know?The bird name is ancient in English, but the medical meaning came much later because the white patches of the infection were thought to resemble the bird’s speckled appearance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þruskaz
“thrush; a small songbird”
Old English
OE
þrysce
“a thrush, especially the songbird”
Middle English
ME
thrushe
“a thrush; later also used for related songbirds”
Late Middle English
English
thrushe
“the bird name becomes standardized in English spelling and pronunciation”
Modern English
English
thrush
“a songbird, or a fungal infection of the mouth or skin”
Explore more surprising origins