Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tinfoilhattery” come from?

tinfoilhattery (English) comes from English tinfoil hat, from English tinfoil, from English FOIL, from Middle English foilen, from Old French fouler, from Latin fullo, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.

tinfoilhattery (English): The belief in and/or propagation of conspiracy...

Definitions

  1. The belief in and/or propagation of conspiracy...

Ancestry of “tinfoilhattery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishtinfoil hatA piece of headgear made from one or more sheets...
2EnglishtinfoilA thin, pliable sheet of tin or an alloy of tin...
3EnglishFOILTo apply the FOIL algorithm to
4Middle Englishfoilenspoil a scent trail by crossing it
5Old Frenchfoulerto tread, to stamp, to full; tread on, trample
6Latinfullofuller
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →