Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “fourbir” come from?

fourbir (Middle French) comes from Old French forbir, from Frankish furbēn, from Proto-Indo-European prep- — to appear, to be visible.

Ancestry of “fourbir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchforbirto clean; to polish
2Frankishfurbēnto clean, polish; to clean
3Proto-Indo-Europeanprep-to appear, to be visible

Words derived from “fourbir”

  • fourbe
  • fourbery
  • furbo
  • furbastro
  • furbacchiotto
  • furbamente
  • furberia
  • furbesco
  • furbizia
  • fourbe
  • fourbir
  • fourbisseur
  • fourberie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European prep- →