Where does “menfolk” come from?
Menfolk derives from English man, from Old English folc, from Proto-Germanic fulką, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁-, meaning to fill or multiply.
menfolk (English): The male members of a group; Male people in...
Definitions
- The male members of a group; Male people in...
Ancestry of “menfolk”, step by step
menfolk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English folk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | folk | Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land,... |
| 2 | German | volk | people, nation, folk, tribe, race group united by culture, history, descent, and/or language |
| 3 | Middle High German | volc | — |
| 4 | Old High German | folc | folk; people collectively, nation; people, nation |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | folk | people, tribe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fulką | people; tribe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |
via English men
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | men | plural of man; people, humanity; enlisted... |
| 2 | Middle English | men | Alternative form of man; plural of mon |
| 3 | Old English | menn | plural of mann; men, persons, human beings;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | manniz | nominative/vocative plural of *mann- |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mann- | human, human being, person, individual; name of... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |