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Origin and history of furl

furl(v.)

1550s, of uncertain origin, possibly from French ferler "to furl," from Old French ferliier "chain, tie up, lock away," perhaps from fer "firm" (from Latin firmus; from PIE root *dher- "to hold firmly, support") + -lier "to bind" (from Latin ligare; from PIE root *leig- "to tie, bind"). Also said to be a shortening of earlier furdle "to furl or fold." Related: Furled; furling. As a noun from 1640s.

also from 1550s

Entries linking to furl

unfurl(v.)

1640s, "spread or shake out from a furled state," from un- (2) "opposite of" + furl (v.). Figurative use, "disclose, display," is by 1670s. Related: unfurled, unfurling.

*dher-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to hold firmly, support." 

It might form all or part of: affirm; confirm; Darius; dharma; farm; fermata; firm (adj.); firm (n.); firmament; furl; infirm; infirmary; terra firma; throne.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit dharmah "custom, statute, law," dharayati "holds;" Prakrit dharaṇa "a holding firm;" Iranian dāra‑ "holding;" Greek thronos "seat;" Latin firmus "strong, steadfast, enduring, stable;" Lithuanian diržnas "strong;" Welsh dir "hard," Breton dir "steel."

*leig-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to tie, bind." 

It might form all or part of: alloy; ally; colligate; deligate; furl; league (n.1) "alliance;" legato; liable; liaison; lien; lictor; ligand; ligament; ligate; ligation; ligature; oblige; rally (v.1) "bring together;" religion; rely.

It might also be the source of: Latin ligare "to bind;" Albanian lidh "I bind," and possibly Middle Low German lik "band," Middle High German geleich "joint, limb."

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    fold
    Old English faldan (Mercian), fealdan (West Saxon), transitive, "to bend (cloth) back over itself, wrap up, furl," class...
    fere
    "companion" (obsolete), from Middle English fere, a shortening of Old English gefera "associate, comrade, fellow-disciple; wife, man, servant," from Proto-Germanic *forjanan, from the causative of *faranan (source of Old English faran "to go, travel"), from PIE root *per- (2) "to
    reef
    "low, narrow rock ridge underwater," 1580s, riffe, probably via Dutch riffe, from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse rif "ridge in the sea; reef in a sail," literally "rib" (see rib (n.)). Also extended to the low islands formed by coral debris or to any extensive elevation
    free
    Old English freo "exempt from; not in bondage, acting of one's own will," also "noble; joyful," from Proto-Germanic *friaz "beloved; not in bondage" (source also of Old Frisian fri, Old Saxon vri, Old High German vri, German frei, Dutch vrij, Gothic freis "free"), from PIE *priy-
    Libra
    zodiac constellation represented by a pair of scales, late Old English, from Latin libra "a balance, pair of scales," also "pound (unit of weight)," from Proto-Italic *leithra- "pound." De Vaan compares Greek litra "name of a Sicilian coin," which "was probably borrowed from an I
    douse
    1550s, "to strike, punch," which is perhaps from Middle Dutch dossen "beat forcefully" or a similar Low German word. Meaning "to strike or lower (a sail) in haste" is recorded from 1620s; that of "to extinguish (a light)" is slang from 1785; perhaps influenced by dout (1520s), an
    blot
    late 14c., "a spot or stain of ink;" also "a moral stain or blemish, a disgrace, a sin;" a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old Norse blettr "blot, stain," or from Old French blot, variant of bloc "block." The Middle English Compendium compares, hesitantly, Old French blo(s
    bolt
    Old English bolt "short, stout arrow with a heavy head;" also "crossbow for throwing bolts," from Proto-Germanic *bultas (source also of Old Norse bolti, Danish bolt, Dutch bout, German Bolzen), perhaps originally "arrow, missile," and from PIE *bheld- "to knock, strike" (source
    roll
    c. 1200, rolle, "rolled-up piece of parchment or paper, scroll" (especially one inscribed with an official record), from Old French rolle "document, parchment scroll, decree" (12c.), Medieval Latin rotulus "a roll of paper" (source also of Spanish rollo, Italian rullo), from Lati
    bunting
    "light woolen stuff loosely woven, flag-material," 1742, of uncertain origin; perhaps from a dialectal survival of Middle English bonting "sifting," verbal noun from bonten "to sift," because cloth was used for sifting grain. The Middle English verb is via Old French, from Vulgar

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