Where does “claw” come from?
Claw comes from Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, from Proto-Germanic klawō, from Proto-Indo-European gel-, meaning to scratch or tear.
claw (English): A curved, pointed horny nail on each digit of the...
Definitions
- A curved, pointed horny nail on each digit of the...
Ancestry of “claw”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | clawe | A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain... |
| 2 | Old English | clawu | claw |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *klawu | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | klawō | claw |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klawjaną | to claw or scratch |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | glew- | Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |