Where does “trifle” come from?

trifle (Middle English) comes from Old French trufle, from Occitan trufa, from Vulgar Latin tufera, from Latin tūber, from Proto-Italic tūβos, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.

Ancestry of “trifle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchtruflemockery
2Occitantrufa—
3Vulgar Latintufera—
4Latintūbera hump, bump, swelling, protuberance; excrescence
5Proto-Italictūβos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong

Words derived from “trifle”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Italic tūβos →Every word from Latin tūber →