Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “merfolk” come from?

merfolk (English) comes from English folk, from German volk, from Middle High German volc, from Old High German folc, from Proto-West Germanic folk, from Proto-Germanic fulką, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.

merfolk (English): Mythical creatures that are human from the waist...

Definitions

  1. Mythical creatures that are human from the waist...

Ancestry of “merfolk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfolkOf or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land,...
2Germanvolk—
3Middle High Germanvolc—
4Old High Germanfolcfolk; people collectively, nation; people, nation
5Proto-West Germanicfolkpeople, tribe
6Proto-Germanicfulkąpeople; tribe
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill

Words derived from “merfolk”

  • マーフォーク
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →