Where does “Cliff” come from?
Cliff (English) comes from Middle English clyf, from Old English clif, from Proto-West Germanic *klib, from Proto-Germanic klibą — cliff, rock.
Ancestry of “Cliff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | clyf | A cliff; a heavily sloped hillside or... |
| 2 | Old English | clif | a cliff; a group of rocks or crag |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *klib | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | klibą | cliff, rock |