Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “foilen” come from?

foilen (Middle English) comes from Old French fouler, from Latin fullo, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

foilen (Middle English): spoil a scent trail by crossing it

Definitions

  1. spoil a scent trail by crossing it

Ancestry of “foilen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfoulerto tread, to stamp, to full; tread on, trample
2Latinfullofuller
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →