Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “trefeul” come from?

trefeul (Old French) comes from Latin trifolium, from Latin folium, from Proto-Italic *foljom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

Ancestry of “trefeul”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintrifoliumtrefoil, clover
2Latinfoliuma leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper
3Proto-Italic*foljom—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰolh₃yomleaf
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “trefeul”

  • trefoil
  • trefoiled
  • trefoil knot
  • tick-trefoil
  • trifolio
  • trefoil
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →