Where does “vielfach” come from?
vielfach (German) comes from German viel, from Middle High German vil, from Old High German filu, from Proto-West Germanic *felu, from Proto-Germanic felu, from Proto-Germanic feluz, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.
vielfach (German): multiple, manifold
Ancestry of “vielfach”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | viel | much, a lot; much, many |
| 2 | Middle High German | vil | — |
| 3 | Old High German | filu | many; much |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *felu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | felu | much, a lot; a lot of; very |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | feluz | many; cruel, evil |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |