Etymograph

English

trefoil

Trefoil comes from Old French trifoil ‘trefoil (plant)’, from Latin folium ‘leaf’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- ‘blossom, flower’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-1‘blossom, flower’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰolh₃yom1‘leaf’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfolium2‘leaf’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrifolium2‘trefoil, clover’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400trifoil2‘trefoil (plant)’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trefoil2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2015trefoil2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin folium
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English trefoil
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2015, David DeMar, Ancient Pitcher Discovered in Historic Danish City: “"The pristine, unbroken condition of the vessel – sometimes…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-Wiktionary, Latin folium‘blossom, flower’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰolh₃yomWiktionary, Latin folium‘leaf’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoliumWiktionary, English trefoil‘leaf’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrifoliumWiktionary, English trefoil‘trefoil, clover’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400trifoilWiktionary, English trefoil‘trefoil (plant)’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trefoilWiktionary, English trefoil
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2015trefoilWiktionary, English trefoil. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2015, David DeMar, Ancient Pitcher Discovered in Historic Danish City: “"The pristine, unbroken condition of the vessel – sometimes…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- ‘blossom, flower’

full, blood, blow, flower, blade, bless, fool, bloom, floral, bleed, flora, blossom, flourish, florist, fleur, ferret, flor, belladonna, 55 more

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰolh₃yom ‘leaf’

folly, 16 more

through Latin folium ‘leaf’

folio, folic, exfoliation, exfoliate, 21 more

Today it means

noun Any of several plants of the pea family, having compound, trifoliate leaves; especially one of the genus Trifolium.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “trefoil”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin folium. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- / trefoil

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