Where does “tomfoolery” come from?
Tomfoolery comes from Middle English ffollery, originally meaning foolish behavior or buffoonery.
tomfoolery (English): Foolish behaviour or speech; jewellery
Definitions
- Foolish behaviour or speech; jewellery
Ancestry of “tomfoolery”, step by step
tomfoolery traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | tom | The male of the domesticated cat; The male of the... |
| 2 | Middle English | Thomme | Tom |
| 3 | Middle English | Thomas | — |
| 4 | Latin | Thōmās | Thomas the Apostle |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Θωμᾶς | Thomas |
| 6 | Aramaic | תאומא | twin; Thomas |
| 7 | Aramaic | תאמא | twin, double; Gemini |
via English foolery
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | foolery | Foolish behaviour or speech |
| 2 | Middle English | foleri | — |
Words derived from “tomfoolery”