Where does “cliff” come from?

Cliff comes from Middle English clyf, from Old English clif, from Proto-Germanic klibą, of uncertain ultimate origin.

cliff (English): A vertical rock face; A point where something...

Definitions

  1. A vertical rock face; A point where something...

Ancestry of “cliff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishclyfA cliff; a heavily sloped hillside or...
2Old Englishclifa cliff; a group of rocks or crag
3Proto-West Germanic*klib—
4Proto-Germanicklibącliff, rock

Words derived from “cliff”

Every word from Proto-Germanic klibą →