English
filth
Filth comes from Proto-West Germanic *fūliþu ‘foulness, rottenness, filth’, from *fūl ‘foul, dirty’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *puH- ‘to be rotten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*puH-‘to be rotten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*púH-lo-sreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fūlaz‘foul, dirty’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fūl‘foul, dirty’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*fūliþu‘foulness, rottenness, filth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fȳlþu
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500filth
- Englishearliest quotation 1671same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*puH-‘to be rotten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*púH-lo-sreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fūlaz‘foul, dirty’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fūl‘foul, dirty’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*fūliþu‘foulness, rottenness, filth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fȳlþu
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500filth
- Englishearliest quotation 1671same form
Earliest quotation: 1671, John Tillotson, Phil[ippians] iij. 8.: “Novv all theſe Precepts do not only tend to…”
Formed from foul + -th
Proto-Indo-European *puH- ‘foul, rotten’
Proto-Germanic *fūlaz ‘foul, rotten’
Proto-West Germanic *fūl ‘foul, dirty’
Old English fūl ‘foul, dirty, unclean, impure, vile, corrupt,…’
Middle English ffoul
English foul
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *puH- ‘to be rotten’
through Proto-Germanic *fūlaz ‘foul, dirty’
through Proto-West Germanic *fūl ‘foul, dirty’
Today it means
noun Dirt; foul matter; that which soils or defiles.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *puH- / filth