English
field
Field comes from Old English feld, from Proto-Germanic *felþuz ‘field’, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- ‘field, plain’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-1‘field, plain’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*felþuz1‘field’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*felþu1‘field’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150feld1‘field’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feld1‘field’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599field1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English field
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599, William Shakespeare, King Henry V: “Tarry, sweet soul, for mine; then fly abreast, As…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-Wiktionary, English field‘field, plain’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*felþuzWiktionary, English field‘field’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*felþuWiktionary, English field‘field’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150feldWiktionary, English field‘field’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feldWiktionary, English field‘field’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599fieldWiktionary, English field. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599, William Shakespeare, King Henry V: “Tarry, sweet soul, for mine; then fly abreast, As…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- ‘field, plain’
floor, explain, plane, explanation, plain, palm, clan, explanatory, playa, archipelago, fluke, placenta, planar, parma, palatine, esplanade, flounder, placate, plantar, implacable, lech, flay, polonium, pelagic, llano, floe, planta, purdah, 49 more
through Proto-West Germanic *felþu
Today it means
noun A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns; an area of open country.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- / field