Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fellah” come from?

Fellah comes from English fellow, ultimately from Latin -arius, a suffix forming agent nouns from verbs ending in Latin -are.

fellah (English): A peasant, farmer or agricultural laborer in the...

Definitions

  1. A peasant, farmer or agricultural laborer in the...

Ancestry of “fellah”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfellowA colleague or partner; A companion; a comrade; A...
2Middle EnglishfelaweA partner, friend, or colleague; one linked with...
3Old Englishfēolaga—
4Old Norsefélagione with whom one has joined one's property;...
5Old Norsefélagfellowship, partnership
6Old Norsefécattle; livestock; property, money
7Proto-Germanicfehulivestock, cattle; property; name of the F-rune
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpéḱulivestock
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpeḱ-to pluck; livestock; wealth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peḱ- →