Where does “fake” come from?
Fake comes from Dutch feeks, from Dutch vegen meaning "to sweep," from Middle Dutch vēgen, from Old Dutch fegon, from Proto-Germanic fegōną, from Proto-Indo-European peḱ-.
fake (English): Not real; false, fraudulent; Insincere; Something...
Definitions
- Not real; false, fraudulent; Insincere; Something...
Ancestry of “fake”, step by step
fake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English feak
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | feak | Alternative form of feague |
| 2 | German | fegen | to sweep, to polish |
| 3 | Middle Low German | vegen | — |
| 4 | Old Dutch | fegōn | to cleanse |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | faginōn | to gladden, rejoice |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | faginōną | to gladden, rejoice |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pōḱ- | — |
via Middle English faken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | faken | to coil a rope |