Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “faul” come from?

faul (German) comes from Middle High German vūl, from Old High German fūl, from Proto-West Germanic fūl, from Proto-Germanic fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European pū- — rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,...

faul (German): rotten; lazy

Definitions

  1. rotten; lazy

Ancestry of “faul”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanvūl—
2Old High Germanfūl—
3Proto-West Germanicfūlfoul, dirty
4Proto-Germanicfūlazfoul, dirty; rotten
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpū-rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,...

Words derived from “faul”

  • denkfaul
  • oberfaul
  • schreibfaul
  • Faulpelz
  • stinkfaul
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pū- →