Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fowl” come from?

Fowl comes from Middle English foul, Old French fol, and Latin follis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.

fowl (English): A bird; A bird of the order Galliformes,...

Definitions

  1. A bird; A bird of the order Galliformes,...

Ancestry of “fowl”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfoulAlternative form of fole; Alternative form of...
2Old Englishfuġolbird
3Proto-West Germanicfuglbird
4Proto-Germanicfuglazbird
5Proto-Germanicfluglaz—
6Proto-Germanicfleuganąto fly
7Proto-Indo-Europeanplewk-to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands
8Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run

Words derived from “fowl”

  • fowling
  • wildfowl
  • peafowl
  • fowlpox
  • moorfowl
  • wildfowler
  • junglefowl
  • fowlhouse
  • spurfowl
  • rockfowl
  • scrubfowl
  • gamefowl
  • batfowling
  • fowlish
  • fowlery
  • landfowl
  • fowllike
  • fowl-lore
  • ffowlyn
Every word from Proto-Indo-European plew- →