english ivy

O.E. ifig, from W.Gmc. *ibakhs (cf. M.L.G. iflof, Du. eiloof, O.H.G. ebahewi, Ger. Efeu), of unknown origin; the second element in the O.H.G. word may be "hay." Ivy bush as a sign of a tavern where wine is served is attested from 1436. Ivy League, inspired by the notion of old, ivy-coated walls, dates to 1933. (It consists of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale).