Where does “Fauxpas” come from?
Fauxpas (German) comes from French faux pas, 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.
Fauxpas (German): faux pas
Ancestry of “Fauxpas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | faux pas | stumble, misstep, false step; faux pas, blunder |
| 2 | French | faux | false; untrue; false; not real; badly;... |
| 3 | Middle French | faux | Alternative form of faulx |
| 4 | Middle French | faulx | false; untrue; false; pretentious; scythe |
| 5 | Old French | fauz | scythe |
| 6 | Latin | falx | sickle, scythe; a hook used to pull down walls |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰelg- | a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin |