Fuel Comes From the Right to Gather Firewood
Fuel is material burned for energy. The word began as a legal term for a tenant's firewood allowance.
Fuel is material burned to produce heat or power. The word arrived as a legal term: Old French *feuage* was the right to gather firewood on a lord's land, from Latin *focus*, a hearth. So *fuel*, *focus* and *curfew* all come from the fireplace — *curfew* is *couvre-feu*, cover the fire, the bell that ordered hearths damped for the night. *Add fuel to the fire* is recorded in English from the 1500s and is older still in Latin.
- Burnable material. *Diesel fuel.*
- To supply energy. *Fuel the engine.*
- To intensify. *Fuel speculation.*
- Curfew — the same root. *A curfew.*
- Latin — *focus*, a hearth. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | fuel | Fuel. |
| Plural | fuels | Fuels. |
| Verb | fuel | Fuelling. |
| Related | focus | A focus. |
| Latin | focus | A hearth. |
- The tank holds forty litres of fuel.Energy.
- The remark fuelled the rumour.Figurative.
- Curfew means cover the fire.Etymology.
The hearth family
- Focus — Latin for hearth, the centre of a home
- Fuel — from the right to gather firewood
- Curfew — from *couvre-feu*, cover the fire
- Foyer — a room with a fireplace, now an entrance hall
- Fusillade — unrelated, despite appearances
Old French *feuaile*, from *feu*, fire, from Latin *focus*, a hearth.
Are fuel and focus related?
Yes. Both come from Latin focus, a hearth. The fireplace was the centre of a home and the source of a household's fire.
What does curfew literally mean?
Cover the fire. A bell ordered hearths to be damped down for the night, reducing the risk of fire spreading.