Where does “fauve” come from?

fauve (Middle French) comes from Old French falve, from Late Latin falvus, from Frankish falu, from Proto-Germanic falwaz, from Proto-Indo-European polHwós, from Proto-Indo-European pelH- — pale, gray.

Ancestry of “fauve”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfalve—
2Late Latinfalvus—
3Frankishfalu—
4Proto-Germanicfalwazpale, gray, fallow
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanpolHwóspale, gray
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanpelH-pale, gray

Words derived from “fauve”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pelH- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European polHwós →Every word from Proto-Germanic falwaz →