Where does “klei” come from?
klei (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch cleie, from Old Dutch klei, from Proto-West Germanic klaij, from Proto-Germanic klajjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gley-.
klei (Dutch): clay
Ancestry of “klei”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | cleie | — |
| 2 | Old Dutch | klei | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | klaij | clay |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | klajjaz | clay |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *gley- | — |