Where does “fill” come from?
Fill comes from Middle English fullen, from Old English fyllan, from Proto-Germanic fullijaną meaning "to make full," derived from the Proto-Indo-European root pleh₁- meaning "full."
fill (English): To occupy fully, to take up all of; To add...
Definitions
- To occupy fully, to take up all of; To add...
Ancestry of “fill”, step by step
fill traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English fullen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fullen | To fill; to make full |
| 2 | Old English | fullian | to fulfill, perfect |
| 3 | Old English | full- | full, fully, completely, entirely; very |
| 4 | Old English | full | full, filled, complete, entire; a beaker; a cup,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | full | full |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |