Where does “treefolk” come from?

treefolk (English) comes from English folk, from German volk, from Middle High German volc, from Old High German folc, from Proto-West Germanic folk, from Proto-Germanic fulką, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.

treefolk (English): Intelligent anthropomorphic creatures akin to (or created from) trees

Definitions

  1. Intelligent anthropomorphic creatures akin to (or created from) trees

Ancestry of “treefolk”, step by step

treefolk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English folk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfolkOf or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land,...
2Germanvolkpeople, nation, folk, tribe, race group united by culture, history, descent, and/or language
3Middle High Germanvolc
4Old High Germanfolcfolk; people collectively, nation; people, nation
5Proto-West Germanicfolkpeople, tribe
6Proto-Germanicfulkąpeople; tribe
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill

via English tree

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtreeA perennial woody plant, not exactly defined, but...
2Middle EnglishtreA tree or a plant that resembles one
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁-
treefolk — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer