Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “polyfill” come from?

polyfill (English) comes from English Fill, from Middle English fillen, from Old English fyllan, from Proto-West Germanic *fullijan, from Proto-Germanic fullijaną, from Proto-Germanic fullaz, from Proto-Indo-European pl̥h₁nós, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.

polyfill (English): A synthetic textile used for bulk or insulation,...

Definitions

  1. A synthetic textile used for bulk or insulation,...

Ancestry of “polyfill”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFill—
2Middle Englishfillento fill
3Old Englishfyllanto fill; Alternative form of fiellan
4Proto-West Germanic*fullijan—
5Proto-Germanicfullijanąto fill, to make full
6Proto-Germanicfullazfull; the whole, the entire
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpl̥h₁nósfull
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →