Where does “findfault” come from?

findfault (English) comes from English fault, from Middle English faulte, from Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin fallita, from Latin falsus, from Latin fallō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel- — to bend; to lie, deceive.

findfault (English): A censurer or caviler

Definitions

  1. A censurer or caviler

Ancestry of “findfault”, step by step

findfault traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English fault

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfaultA defect; something that detracts from...
2Middle Englishfaulte
3Old Frenchfautefault; error; mistake
4Vulgar Latinfallitashortcoming
5Latinfalsusdeceived, tricked, cheated, disappointed, having...
6Latinfallōto deceive, beguile, trick, cheat, delude, ensnare, disappoint
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰwel-to bend; to lie, deceive

via English find

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfindTo encounter or discover by accident; to happen...
2Middle Englishfindento find; to discover
3Old Englishfindanto find, meet
4Proto-West Germanicfinþanto find, to discover, to come upon
5Proto-Germanicfinþanąto find, to discover, to come upon
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpent-to pass; path
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel-