Where does “fivefold” come from?
Fivefold comes from Middle English fiffold, from Old English fīffeald, a compound of five and fold meaning to multiply or increase.
fivefold (English): In fives; consisting of five in one; quintuple;...
Definitions
- In fives; consisting of five in one; quintuple;...
Ancestry of “fivefold”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fiffold | — |
| 2 | Old English | fīffeald | — |
| 3 | Old English | feald | occasion |
| 4 | Alemannic German | Fald | — |
| 5 | Middle High German | vëlt | — |
| 6 | Old High German | feld | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | felþu | field |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | felþuz | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pelh₂- | to approach |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
Words derived from “fivefold”