Etymology Explorer › Ancient Greek

Where does “καρφίον” come from?

καρφίον (Ancient Greek) comes from Ancient Greek κάρφος, from Ancient Greek κάρφω, from Proto-Indo-European (s)krebʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

Ancestry of “καρφίον”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekκάρφοςarid stalk, dry twig, chip of wood
2Ancient Greekκάρφωto dry up, wither, shrivel
3Proto-Indo-European(s)krebʰ-to turn; bend; shrink
4Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
5Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “καρφίον”

  • καρφί
  • καρφίτσα
  • ξυλόκαρφο
  • καρφάκι
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →