What's in the name of a tree?

There are over 73,000 known tree species on the planet but only just over 100 native trees and shrubs in the UK and Ireland. Trees were around long before language, so it's no surprise that our native trees hold ancient stories, as do their names... 

The word ‘tree’ itself is considered to be one of the oldest words in the Indo-European language family (which includes English). It comes to us through the Anglo-Saxon word treow, and origins have been traced to Sanskrit dru, used to refer to both a tree and wood, and the ancient word dreu. 

Beech 

A reminder of the connection between trees and the written word, the word ‘book’ owes its origins to the Old English word for Beech tree, boc. This is because slabs of beech wood were commonly used for writing before the invention of paper. 

Willow 

The name willow reflects the tree's most distinctive and useful feature: the tree’s flexibility. The word willow has been traced to the Old English word 'welig', thought to be connected to a root word referring to bending and twisting, alluding to the flexibility of young willow twigs, which are used in wickerwork. Willow has been used in building methods like Wattle and Daub, where upright willow (or hazel) rods were interwoven with twigs and then daubed with clay to form walls. 

Dogwood  

The name dogwood doesn't refer to the animal, but is thought to relate to the tree's smooth, straight twigs that were traditionally used to make butchers’ skewers. These skewers were once commonly called 'dogs' or 'dags,' meaning the name literally translates to 'skewer wood.' 

Elder 

The name elder is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon aeld, meaning fire. This connection arose because the tree's hollow stems were famously used as bellows to blow air into the center of a fire, quickly reviving the flames.  

In folklore, the Elder tree is seen as both a powerful protector and a vengeful spirit, the 'Elder Mother', who curses those who disrespect or damage it. 

Oak 

The Indo-European base word for oak is deru, the same root that became the Modern English word ‘tree’, reflecting its status as the most important tree. A single mature oak tree can support more than 2,300 different species of invertebrates, birds, mammals, and fungi. So, pretty important! 

Rowan 

Also called ‘witchwood’, rowan’s ancient Celtic name, fid na ndruad, means 'wizards' tree’.  

Rowan is deeply tied to protection and enchantment and was widely planted near homes and in churchyards across Britain and Ireland to ward off witchcraft and evil. This practice gave it the folk name ‘witch wiggin’ tree, thought to be at its most protective in autumn when it is full of its bright red berries.  

Yew 

Shakespeare famously called this tree the ‘double fatal yew,’ in his play Richard II,  encapsulating the dual reason why the yew might have become a powerful symbolism of death and resurrection: yew leaves are highly poisonous, and its highly durable and flexible wood was the primary material for the longbow, the weapon that defined medieval warfare. 

The Latin name for yew, Taxus, is strongly connected to two Greek words: toxon, meaning an arrow or bow, and toxikon, meaning poison. 

Some of the oldest trees in the world are yews. The Fortingall Yew in Perthshire, Scotland, could be considered the oldest tree in the UK. Experts estimate it to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, although some think it could be far older.