Where does “folk” come from?

folk (Scots) comes from Scots fowk, from Middle English folk, from Old English folc, from Proto-West Germanic folk, from Proto-Germanic fulką, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.

folk (Scots): Alternative spelling of fowk

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of fowk

Ancestry of “folk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotsfowkfolk, people
2Middle Englishfolkpeople, folk multiple individuals
3Old Englishfolca people, nation, tribe; crowd; people
4Proto-West Germanicfolkpeople, tribe
5Proto-Germanicfulkąpeople; tribe
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fulką →Every word from Proto-West Germanic folk →
folk — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer