faul

Meaning

1. foul, rotten, rancid
2. lazy

Pronounced as (IPA)

/faʊ̯l/

Etymology

From Middle High German vūl, from Old High German fūl, from Proto-West Germanic *fūl, from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European *puH-lo-s (“rotten, putrid”).
Compare Dutch vuil, English foul, Danish ful, Swedish ful. Doublet of Foul.
The sense “lazy” developed in part from the idea of food rotting when lying around, in part from the notion that idleness is morally rotten.