Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fouling” come from?

Fouling derives from the English verb foul, from Middle English foulen, from Old French fol, from Latin follis meaning a bellows or bag, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ- and bʰel-.

fouling (English): present participle of foul; The adhesion of a...

Definitions

  1. present participle of foul; The adhesion of a...

Ancestry of “fouling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfoulCovered with, or containing unclean matter;...
2Middle Englishfoulen—
3Old Englishfūlianto become foul; rot; decay
4Proto-GermanicfūlānąTo become foul; rot; decay
5Proto-Germanic-ānąCreates factitive verbs from adjectives, later...
6Proto-Germanic-ajaną—
7Proto-Indo-European-oyétiCreates factitive verbs from adjectives
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
10Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “fouling”

  • biofouling
  • antifouling
  • macrofouling
  • nonfouling
  • microfouling
  • antibiofouling
  • antimicrofouling
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