Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thriftful” come from?

thriftful (English) comes from English thrift, from English thrive, from Middle English turf, from Old English turf, from Proto-West Germanic turb, from Proto-Germanic turbz, from Proto-Indo-European dorbh- — tuft, grass.

thriftful (English): Characterised by thrift; thrifty

Definitions

  1. Characterised by thrift; thrifty

Ancestry of “thriftful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthriftThe characteristic of using a minimum of...
2EnglishthriveTo grow or increase stature; to grow vigorously...
3Middle Englishturf—
4Old Englishturfturf
5Proto-West Germanicturbturf, peat
6Proto-Germanicturbzturf, peat
7Proto-Indo-Europeandorbh-tuft, grass
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dorbh- →