fart (English)
Where does "fart" come from?
The English word 'fart' has a very deep and ancient lineage, tracing back through Middle English 'ferten' and the Old English reconstructed form '*feortan'[1]. These forms developed from Proto-West Germanic '*fertan' and Proto-Germanic '*fertaną'[1], which ultimately descend from the Proto-Indo-European root '*perd-' meaning 'to fart'[3]. The noun form emerged in Middle English as 'fert' or 'fart' directly from the verb[1].
Open questions
- The Old English form '*feortan' is a reconstructed form rather than a directly attested one. [1]
Full etymology tree
- fart (English), 'An emission of digestive gases from the anus; a flatus.'
- inherited ferten (Middle English)
- inherited *feortan (Old English), 'to fart'
- inherited *fertan (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited *fertaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to break wind, fart'
- inherited *perd- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to fart loudly, pass gas, break wind'
- inherited *fertaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to break wind, fart'
- inherited *fertan (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited *feortan (Old English), 'to fart'
- inherited ferten (Middle English)
Ancestors
- *feortan (Old English)
- *fertaną (Proto-Germanic)
- *perd- (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- all fart and no poo (English)
- all fart and no shit (English)
- armpit fart (English)
- brain fart (English)
- cackle-fart (English)
- catchfart (English)
- cunt fart (English)
- duck fart (English)
- fanny fart (English)
- fart about (English)
- fart around (English)
- fart-arse (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris