Where does “tomfoolerous” come from?
tomfoolerous (English) comes from English ous, from English ou, from Afrikaans ou, from Dutch oud, from Middle Dutch out, from Old Dutch ald, from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz — to grow, nourish.
tomfoolerous (English): Characteristic of tomfoolery; silly, foolish
Definitions
- Characteristic of tomfoolery; silly, foolish
Ancestry of “tomfoolerous”, step by step
tomfoolerous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ous | plural of ou |
| 2 | English | ou | A probably extinct species of Hawaiian... |
| 3 | Afrikaans | ou | An old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of... |
| 4 | Dutch | oud | old |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | out | old |
| 6 | Old Dutch | ald | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via English tomfoolery
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tomfoolery | Foolish behaviour or speech; jewellery |
| 2 | English | tom | The male of the domesticated cat; The male of the... |
| 3 | Middle English | Thomme | Tom |
| 4 | Middle English | Thomas | — |
| 5 | Latin | Thōmās | Thomas the Apostle |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Θωμᾶς | Thomas |
| 7 | Aramaic | תאומא | twin; Thomas |
| 8 | Aramaic | תאמא | twin, double; Gemini |