English

featherfoil

From feather + foil (“a leaf”).

A compound of feather + foil ‘a leaf’

Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’

…

Proto-Germanic *feþrō

Proto-West Germanic *feþru

Old English feþer

Middle English fethere ‘a wing feather’

Proto-Italic *foljom

…

Late Latin folia ‘a leaf’

Old French fueille ‘plant leaf’

Middle French fueille

Middle English foyle ‘a leaf’

English foil

Today it means

noun An aquatic plant (Hottonia palustris) with finely divided leaves.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / featherfoil