Etymograph

English

funnel

Funnel comes from Middle English funell.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500funell1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2013funnel1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English funnel
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, Jonathan Caren, The Recommendation: “The first time he did it was to this…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500funellWiktionary, English funnel
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2013funnelWiktionary, English funnel. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, Jonathan Caren, The Recommendation: “The first time he did it was to this…”

The story

From Middle English funell, fonel, probably through Old French *founel (compare Middle French fonel, Old Occitan fonilh, enfounilh), from Latin fundibulum, infundibulum (‘funnel’), from infundere (‘to pour in’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’

yet, refuse, gut, font, fuse, effusive, 39 more

through Proto-Italic *hundō ‘to pour out’

confused, diffusion, foundry, fondue, perfusion, profusion, effusion, 35 more

through Latin fundō ‘to pour out, shed’

foundation, founder, fundamental, confusion, fusion, refund, confuse, diffuse, confound, 45 more

through Latin īnfundō ‘to pour in’

infusion, infuse, 4 more

Today it means

noun A utensil in the shape of an inverted hollow cone terminating in a narrow pipe, for channeling liquids or granular material; typically used when transferring said substances from any container into ones with a significantly smaller opening.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “funnel”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English funell / funnel

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