Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “fylan” come from?

fylan (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic *fūlijan, from Proto-Germanic fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European pū- — rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,...

fylan (Old English): to defile, make foul

Definitions

  1. to defile, make foul

Ancestry of “fylan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic*fūlijan—
2Proto-Germanicfūlazfoul, dirty; rotten
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpū-rotten, putrid; be rotten; putrid; to rot, swell,...

Words derived from “fylan”

  • filen
  • befylan
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pū- →