Where does “tomfoolishness” come from?
tomfoolishness (English) comes from English tomfoolish, from English tomfool, from English fool, from French fouler, from Middle French fouller, from Old French foler, from Medieval Latin fullo, from Latin fullo.
tomfoolishness (English): The quality of being tomfoolish
Definitions
- The quality of being tomfoolish
Ancestry of “tomfoolishness”, step by step
tomfoolishness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tomfoolish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tomfoolish | silly; foolish |
| 2 | English | tomfool | a silly or stupid person, especially a boy or... |
| 3 | English | fool | A person with poor judgment or little... |
| 4 | French | fouler | to stamp, impress, dent; to mill; to walk on,... |
| 5 | Middle French | fouller | to mistreat |
| 6 | Old French | foler | to destroy; to mistreat |
| 7 | Medieval Latin | fullo | fuller |
| 8 | Latin | fullo | fuller |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |