Where does “fourbe” come from?

fourbe (French) comes from French fourbir, from Middle French fourbir, from Old French forbir, from Frankish furbēn, from Proto-Indo-European prep- — to appear, to be visible.

fourbe (French): guile, deception; double-dealer, swindler;...

Definitions

  1. guile, deception; double-dealer, swindler;...

Ancestry of “fourbe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfourbirto furbish, burnish
2Middle Frenchfourbir—
3Old Frenchforbirto clean; to polish
4Frankishfurbēnto clean, polish; to clean
5Proto-Indo-Europeanprep-to appear, to be visible

Words derived from “fourbe”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European prep- →Every word from Frankish furbēn →Every word from Old French forbir →