Wych
/wɪtʃ/noun
A type of elm tree, especially the wych elm; also used in some place names and surnames.
Did you know?Wych is historically linked to Old English and Proto-Germanic words meaning “pliant” or “supple,” which fits the flexible wood of the tree rather than anything occult.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to bend, yield, or be pliant”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wīh- / *wīk-
“pliable, bending”
Old English
OE
wice
“wych elm; a pliant tree”
Middle English
ME
wiche, wych
“wych elm”
Modern English
English
wych
“wych elm”