Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “ouf” come from?

ouf (French) comes from French fou, from Spanish alfil, from Arabic الفيل, from Pahlavi pyl, from Akkadian 𒄠𒋛 — elephant.

ouf (French): phew!, whew!; crazy; nuts; crazy person, nutter

Definitions

  1. phew!, whew!; crazy; nuts; crazy person, nutter

Ancestry of “ouf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfoumad, crazy; madman; jester
2Spanishalfilbishop
3Arabicالفيل—
4Pahlavipyl—
5Akkadian𒄠𒋛elephant
Every word from Akkadian 𒄠𒋛 →