Etymology Explorer › Middle French

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”

  • fauvism
  • fauvette
  • fauvement
  • fauvisme
  • fauve
  • fauvette
  • fauvisme
  • フォーヴィスム
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pelH- →