Where does “faux” come from?
faux (Norman) comes from Old French faulz, from Latin falsus, from Latin fallō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel- — to bend; to lie, deceive.
faux (Norman): false; scythe
Ancestry of “faux”, step by step
faux traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French faulz
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | faulz | — |
| 2 | Latin | falsus | deceived, tricked, cheated, disappointed, having... |
| 3 | Latin | fallō | to deceive, beguile, trick, cheat, delude, ensnare, disappoint |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰwel- | to bend; to lie, deceive |
via Latin falx
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | falx | sickle, scythe; a hook used to pull down walls |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰelg- | a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin |
Words derived from “faux”