Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “furbish” come from?

furbish (English) comes from Middle English furbishen, from Old French furbir, from Frankish furbēn, from Proto-Indo-European prep- — to appear, to be visible.

furbish (English): To polish or burnish; To renovate or recondition

Definitions

  1. To polish or burnish; To renovate or recondition

Ancestry of “furbish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfurbishen—
2Old Frenchfurbir—
3Frankishfurbēnto clean, polish; to clean
4Proto-Indo-Europeanprep-to appear, to be visible

Words derived from “furbish”

  • refurbishment
  • refurbish
  • refurbisher
  • furbisher
  • refurbishable
  • furbishable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European prep- →