Etymology Explorer › Byzantine Greek

Where does “κλέφτης” come from?

κλέφτης (Byzantine Greek) comes from Ancient Greek κλέπτης, from Ancient Greek κλέπτω, from Proto-Hellenic klépťō, from Proto-Indo-European klép-ye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European ḱlep-, from Proto-Indo-European klep- — to steal.

Ancestry of “κλέφτης”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekκλέπτηςthief; deceitful person
2Ancient GreekκλέπτωI steal, filch; I cheat; I mislead, keep secret
3Proto-Hellenicklépťōto steal
4Proto-Indo-Europeanklép-ye-ti—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱlep-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanklep-to steal

Words derived from “κλέφτης”

  • κλέφτης
Every word from Proto-Indo-European klep- →