Etymology Explorer › Catalan

Where does “clau” come from?

clau (Catalan) comes from Latin clāvis, from Ancient Greek κλείς, from Proto-Hellenic klāwī́ds, from Proto-Indo-European kleh₂u- — nail, pin, hook - instruments, of old use for...

clau (Catalan): key; curly bracket; nail

Definitions

  1. key; curly bracket; nail

Ancestry of “clau”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinclāvis—
2Ancient GreekκλείςSomething used to lock/unlock: key, bolt, bar; A...
3Proto-Hellenicklāwī́ds—
4Proto-Indo-Europeankleh₂u-nail, pin, hook - instruments, of old use for...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kleh₂u- →