Where does “fowler” come from?
Fowler comes from Middle English foulere, from Old English fuglere, combining Old English fugel (bird) with the agent suffix -ere, ultimately from Proto-Germanic fuglaz and Proto-Indo-European plew-k- (to fly or flutter).
fowler (English): A hunter of wildfowl
Definitions
- A hunter of wildfowl
Ancestry of “fowler”, step by step
fowler traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English foulere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | foulere | A catcher or hunter of wildfowl; a fowler |
| 2 | Old English | fuglere | fowler |
| 3 | Old English | fuġol | bird |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fugl | bird |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fuglaz | bird |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fluglaz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | fleuganą | to fly |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |
via Middle English fugelere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fugelere | — |
via Middle English voȝelere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | voȝelere | — |