Where does “footling” come from?
footling (English) comes from English footle, from English footer, from English football, from Middle English fotbal, from Middle English bal, from Old English beall, from English beal, from Old English hyll — to rise, to be tall; hill.
footling (English): trivial, silly and irritating; present participle...
Definitions
- trivial, silly and irritating; present participle...
Ancestry of “footling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | footle | To waste time; to trifle; To talk nonsense;... |
| 2 | English | footer | A footgoer; pedestrian; A line of information... |
| 3 | English | football | A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to... |
| 4 | Middle English | fotbal | — |
| 5 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 6 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 7 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 8 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 9 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |