Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “fosse” come from?

fosse (Middle English) comes from Old French fossé, from Late Latin fossatum, from Latin fossō, from Latin fodiō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰod- — to pierce, dig.

Ancestry of “fosse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfossé—
2Late Latinfossatumentrenchment, place enclosed by a ditch; a ditch,...
3Latinfossō—
4Latinfodiō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰod-to pierce, dig

Words derived from “fosse”

  • fosse
  • fosseway
  • fossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰod- →