Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-fold” come from?

-fold (English) comes from Middle English -fold, from Old English -feald, from Proto-West Germanic *-falþ, from Proto-Germanic -falþaz, from Proto-Indo-European -poltos, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.

-fold (English): Used to make adjectives meaning times; Used to...

Definitions

  1. Used to make adjectives meaning times; Used to...

Ancestry of “-fold”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-fold—
2Old English-fealdsuffix denoting multiplication, or consisting of...
3Proto-West Germanic*-falþ—
4Proto-Germanic-falþaz-fold
5Proto-Indo-European-poltos-fold
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “-fold”

  • multifold
  • twentyfold
  • twelvefold
  • millionfold
  • severalfold
  • trifold
  • bifold
  • fiftyfold
  • fifteenfold
  • elevenfold
  • sixteenfold
  • fortyfold
  • fourteenfold
  • thirteenfold
  • billionfold
  • eighteenfold
  • seventeenfold
  • seventyfold
  • myriadfold
  • nineteenfold
  • eightyfold
  • trillionfold
  • ninetyfold
  • morefold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →