Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nonfoul” come from?

nonfoul (English) comes from English foul, from Middle English foulen, from Old English fūlian, from Proto-Germanic fūlāną, from Proto-Germanic -āną, from Proto-Germanic -ajaną, from Proto-Indo-European -oyéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

nonfoul (English): Not foul

Definitions

  1. Not foul

Ancestry of “nonfoul”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfoulCovered with, or containing unclean matter;...
2Middle Englishfoulen—
3Old Englishfūlianto become foul; rot; decay
4Proto-GermanicfūlānąTo become foul; rot; decay
5Proto-Germanic-ānąCreates factitive verbs from adjectives, later...
6Proto-Germanic-ajaną—
7Proto-Indo-European-oyétiCreates factitive verbs from adjectives
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
10Chichewaiyehe, she
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