Etymograph

English

full

Full comes from Old English full ‘full’, from Proto-Germanic *fullaz, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós ‘full’, and ultimately from *pleh₁- ‘to fill’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₁-‘to fill’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥h₁nós‘full’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fullaz‘full’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*full‘full’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150full‘full’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ful‘full’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611full

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₁-‘to fill’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥h₁nós‘full’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fullaz‘full’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*full‘full’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150full‘full’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ful‘full’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611full

Earliest quotation: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “Prospero: I have done nothing but in care of…”

The story

Germanic cognates include West Frisian fol, Low German vull, Dutch vol, German voll, Danish fuld, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish full. Proto-Indo-European cognates include English plenty (via Latin, compare plēnus), Welsh llawn, Russian по́лный (pólnyj), Lithuanian pilnas, Persian پر (por), Sanskrit पूर्ण (pūrṇá). For the "drunk, intoxicated" sense, compare also Swedish full and other Scandinavian languages.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- ‘to fill’

people, public, complete, plus, supply, popular, completion, folk, implement, accomplish, comply, supplement, poll, complement, manipulation, plural, plethora, depletion, replete, puri, deplete, plebs, volk, plebeian, 75 more

through Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós

plenty, plain, ample, amplitude, amplify, plenary, replenish, plenum, 21 more

through Proto-Germanic *fullaz

fill, 5 more

through Middle English ful ‘very’

fulsome, 6 more

Another origin of full

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*plūno-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fullį̄‘fullness’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fullīreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150fyllu‘fullness, fill, plenty’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fulle
  6. Englishtodayfull

Another origin of full

  1. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*full-reconstructed
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150fullian‘to baptise’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fullen‘to baptise’
  4. Englishtodayfull

Another origin of full

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-‘to inflate, blow, swell’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfullō‘a fuller’
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fullāre
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400foler‘to destroy’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400fuller
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fullen‘to full’
  7. Englishtodayfull

Today it means

adj Containing the maximum possible amount that can fit in the space available.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- / full

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