Where does “filth” come from?

Filth derives from Middle English filth, Old English fȳlþu, Proto-West Germanic fūliþu (from fūl, meaning foul or rotten), Proto-Germanic fūlaz, and Proto-Indo-European pū-.

filth (English): Dirt; foul matter; that which soils or defiles;...

Definitions

  1. Dirt; foul matter; that which soils or defiles;...

Ancestry of “filth”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfilth—
2Old Englishfȳlþufilth
3Proto-West Germanicfūliþufoulness, rottenness, filth
4Proto-West Germanicfūlfoul, dirty
5Proto-Germanicfūlazfoul, dirty; rotten
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpū-rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,...

Words derived from “filth”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pū- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fūlaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic fūl →
filth — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer