Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Phil” come from?

Phil comes from Ancient Greek Φίλιππος, derived from Ancient Greek φίλος meaning "friend" and Ancient Greek σοφός meaning "wise," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰil-.

Phil (English): Abbreviation of philosophy; short form of...

Definitions

  1. Abbreviation of philosophy; short form of...

Ancestry of “Phil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPhilip—
2Middle EnglishPhilip—
3Ancient Greekφίλιπποςfond of horses
4Ancient GreekφιλέωI love, like, regard highly; I treat kindly,...
5Ancient Greekἀτέλεια—
6Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
7Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
8Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
9Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “Phil”

  • Filson
  • Philson
  • Phildickian
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →