Where does “trefoil” come from?
Trefoil comes from Middle English trefoil, from Old French trifoil, from Latin trifolium, a compound of Latin tri- (three) and folium (leaf), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- (to swell or bloom).
trefoil (English): Any of several plants of the pea family, having...
Definitions
- Any of several plants of the pea family, having...
Ancestry of “trefoil”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | trefoil | — |
| 2 | Old French | trifoil | trefoil |
| 3 | Latin | trifolium | trefoil, clover |
| 4 | Latin | folium | a leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *foljom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰolh₃yom | leaf |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |