Where does “field” come from?

Field comes from Middle English feld, from Old English feld, from Proto-Germanic felþuz, which derives from the Proto-Indo-European root pelh₂- meaning to spread or unfold.

field (English): A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns;...

Definitions

  1. A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns;...

Ancestry of “field”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfeeldA field; The countryside; empty land that...
2Old Englishfeldfield
3Proto-West Germanicfelþufield
4Proto-Germanicfelþuzfield, plain
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpelh₂-to approach
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “field”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →