fold

fold · verb, noun¹

1. Middle English · inherited fromfolde
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*pel-“to fold”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*falþaną“to fold”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*falþan
5. Old English · inherited fromfealdan
6. Middle English · inherited fromfolden
7. English todayfold

The verb is from Middle English folden, from Old English fealdan, from Proto-West Germanic *falþan, from Proto-Germanic *falþaną (“to fold”), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to fold”). Cognate with Dutch vouwen, German falten. The noun is from Middle English folde, falde, itself derived from the verb.

fold · noun, verb²

1. Middle English · inherited fromfooldyn
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*faludaz“enclosure”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*falud
4. Old English · inherited fromfald
5. Middle English · inherited fromfold
6. English todayfold

The noun is from Middle English fold, fald, from Old English fald, falæd, falod (“fold, stall, stable, cattle-pen”), from Proto-West Germanic *falud, from Proto-Germanic *faludaz (“enclosure”). Akin to Scots fald, fauld (“an enclosure for livestock”), Dutch vaalt (“dung heap”), Middle Low German valt, vālt (“an inclosed space, a yard”), Danish fold (“pen for herbivorous livestock”), Swedish fålla (“corral, pen, pound”). The verb is from Late Middle English fooldyn, itself derived from the noun.

fold · noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*fuldǭ
2. Old English · inherited fromfolde“earth, land, country, district, region, territory, ground, soil, clay”
3. Middle English · inherited fromfolde
4. English todayfold

From Middle English folde, from Old English folde (“earth, land, country, district, region, territory, ground, soil, clay”), from Proto-Germanic *fuldǭ, *fuldō (“earth, ground; field; the world”). Cognate with Old Norse fold (“earth, land, field”), Norwegian and Icelandic fold (“land, earth, meadow”).

Words from the same roots