Etymology Explorer › English

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

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—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →