Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “foulsome” come from?

foulsome (English) comes from English fulsome, from Middle English fulsom, from Middle English fúl, from Old English full, from Proto-West Germanic full, from Proto-Germanic fullaz, from Proto-Indo-European pl̥h₁nós, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.

foulsome (English): Marked by foulness or filth; filthy; wretched

Definitions

  1. Marked by foulness or filth; filthy; wretched

Ancestry of “foulsome”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfulsomeOffensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous,...
2Middle Englishfulsom—
3Middle Englishfúl—
4Old Englishfullfull, filled, complete, entire; a beaker; a cup,...
5Proto-West Germanicfullfull
6Proto-Germanicfullazfull; the whole, the entire
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpl̥h₁nósfull
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →