Where does “offal” come from?

Offal comes from Middle English offal, from Old Norse affall, meaning scraps or waste.

offal (English): The internal organs of an animal, used as animal...

Definitions

  1. The internal organs of an animal, used as animal...

Ancestry of “offal”, step by step

offal traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English off

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoffIn a direction away from the speaker or object;...
2Middle Englishofof; off; until
3Old Englishofof, from, off, out of
4Old Englishæfof
5Proto-Germanic*ab—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanapó—

via English fall

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfall"To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";...
2Middle Englishfall—
3Old EnglishfeallAlternative form of fiell
4Proto-Germanicfallą—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)pōl-to fall

via Middle English offal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishoffaloffal, refuse, scrap waste
2Old Norseaffalloffal

Words derived from “offal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →