Where does “Fake” come from?
Fake (German) comes from English fake, from English feak, from German fegen, from Middle Low German vegen, from Old Dutch fegōn, from Proto-West Germanic faginōn, from Proto-Germanic faginōną, from Proto-Indo-European pōḱ-.
Fake (German): fake, rip-off; fake
Ancestry of “Fake”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fake | Not real; false, fraudulent; Insincere; Something... |
| 2 | English | feak | Alternative form of feague |
| 3 | German | fegen | to sweep, to polish |
| 4 | Middle Low German | vegen | — |
| 5 | Old Dutch | fegōn | to cleanse |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | faginōn | to gladden, rejoice |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | faginōną | to gladden, rejoice |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pōḱ- | — |