Where does “filth” come from?
filth (Middle English) comes from Old English fȳlþu, from Proto-West Germanic fūliþu, from Proto-West Germanic fūl, from Proto-Germanic fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European pū- — rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,...
Ancestry of “filth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | fȳlþu | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | fūliþu | foulness, rottenness, filth |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fūl | foul, dirty |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fūlaz | foul, dirty; rotten |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pū- | rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,... |
Words derived from “filth”