Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “polyfoam” come from?

polyfoam (English) comes from English foam, from Middle English fom, from Old English fām, from Proto-West Germanic *faim, from Proto-Germanic faimaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)poHy-m-os, from Proto-Indo-European (s)poH(y)-, from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- — to succeed, to prosper.

polyfoam (English): Any of various materials, made from synthetic...

Definitions

  1. Any of various materials, made from synthetic...

Ancestry of “polyfoam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfoamA substance composed of a large collection of...
2Middle EnglishfomAlternative form of fome
3Old Englishfām—
4Proto-West Germanic*faim—
5Proto-Germanicfaimazfoam
6Proto-Indo-European(s)poHy-m-os—
7Proto-Indo-European(s)poH(y)-foam
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspeh₁-to succeed, to prosper
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- →