Where does “trèfle” come from?
trèfle (French) comes from Old French tresfle, from Vulgar Latin trifolum, from Latin trifolium, from Latin folium, from Proto-Italic *foljom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
trèfle (French): clover; clubs; trefoil
Definitions
- clover; clubs; trefoil
Ancestry of “trèfle”, step by step
trèfle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French tresfle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | tresfle | clover |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | trifolum | clover |
| 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- | — |
via Ancient Greek τρίφυλλιον
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | τρίφυλλιον | clover |