Where does “ontkalken” come from?

ontkalken (Dutch) comes from Dutch kalk, from Middle Dutch calc, from Old Dutch kalk, from Latin calx, from Ancient Greek χάλιξ — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.

ontkalken (Dutch): to descale

Definitions

  1. to descale

Ancestry of “ontkalken”, step by step

ontkalken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch kalk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchkalklime
2Middle Dutchcalc
3Old Dutchkalk
4Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
5Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

via Dutch ont- -en

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchont- -enForms transitive verbs from nouns, meaning "to remove (noun) from, to rid of (noun), to de-(noun)"
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ