Where does “faux pas” come from?
faux pas (French) comes from French faux, from Middle French faux, from Middle French faulx, from Old French fauz, from Latin falx, from Proto-Indo-European dʰelg- — a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin.
faux pas (French): stumble, misstep, false step; faux pas, blunder
Definitions
- stumble, misstep, false step; faux pas, blunder
Ancestry of “faux pas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | faux | false; untrue; false; not real; badly;... |
| 2 | Middle French | faux | Alternative form of faulx |
| 3 | Middle French | faulx | false; untrue; false; pretentious; scythe |
| 4 | Old French | fauz | scythe |
| 5 | Latin | falx | sickle, scythe; a hook used to pull down walls |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰelg- | a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin |
Words derived from “faux pas”