Where does “-fold” come from?
-fold (Middle English) comes from Old English -feald, from Proto-West Germanic *-falþ, from Proto-Germanic -falþaz, from Proto-Indo-European -poltos, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.
Ancestry of “-fold”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | -feald | suffix denoting multiplication, or consisting of... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *-falþ | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | -falþaz | -fold |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -poltos | -fold |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
Words derived from “-fold”