Where does “afoul” come from?
Afoul derives from English foul and the preposition a, which comes from English and, ultimately from Latin ad- and Latin ad meaning "to," tracing back to Proto-Indo-European h₂epo and al-.
afoul (English): In a state of collision or entanglement; In a...
Definitions
- In a state of collision or entanglement; In a...
Ancestry of “afoul”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | foul | Covered with, or containing unclean matter;... |
| 2 | Middle English | foulen | To dirty or foul; to make or become dirty |
| 3 | Old English | fūlian | to become foul; rot; decay |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fūlāną | To become foul; rot; decay |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -āną | Creates factitive verbs from adjectives, later... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ajaną | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -oyéti | Creates factitive verbs from adjectives |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |