Where does “folktale” come from?
Folktale derives from English folk, from Middle English folk, from Old English folc meaning "people" or "multitude," from Proto-Germanic fulką, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning "to fill."
folktale (English): A tale or story that is part of the oral...
Definitions
- A tale or story that is part of the oral...
Ancestry of “folktale”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | folk | Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land,... |
| 2 | German | volk | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | volc | — |
| 4 | Old High German | folc | folk; people collectively, nation; people, nation |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | folk | people, tribe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fulką | people; tribe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |