Where does “full” come from?
Full comes from Middle English fullen, from Latin fullo meaning cloth-fuller, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- meaning to swell or blow.
full (English): Containing the maximum possible amount that can...
Definitions
- Containing the maximum possible amount that can...
Ancestry of “full”, step by step
full traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English fúl
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fúl | very; much; to a great extent |
| 2 | Old English | full | full, filled, complete, entire; a beaker; a cup,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | full | full |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |
via German Full
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Full | — |