Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “fol” come from?

fol (Old French) comes from Latin follis, from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

fol (Old French): mad; insane; foolish; silly

Definitions

  1. mad; insane; foolish; silly

Ancestry of “fol”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinfollisbellows; purse, sack, money bag; a small value...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰelǵʰ-to swell
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “fol”

  • fool
  • foolish
  • folly
  • foul
  • fowl
  • follies
  • foolishly
  • fooling
  • foal
  • fouling
  • foolhardy
  • afoul
  • fowling
  • foolproof
  • foully
  • foolhardiness
  • wildfowl
  • fouler
  • biofouling
  • antifouling
  • peafowl
  • foulmouthed
  • befoul
  • foolishest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →