Where does “follow” come from?

Follow descends from Middle English folwen, Old English folgian, Proto-West Germanic folgēn, and Proto-Germanic fullaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁-, a root of uncertain meaning.

follow (English): To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the...

Definitions

  1. To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the...

Ancestry of “follow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfolwento follow
2Old Englishfolġianto follow
3Proto-West Germanicfolgēnto follow
4Proto-Germanicfulgānąto follow
5Proto-Germanicfullazfull; the whole, the entire
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpl̥h₁nósfull
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill

Words derived from “follow”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →