Where does “clawful” come from?
clawful (English) comes from English claw, from Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, from Proto-West Germanic *klawu, from Proto-Germanic klawō, from Proto-Germanic klawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.
clawful (English): As much as is held in one's claws or (expressively) in one's hand
Definitions
- As much as is held in one's claws or (expressively) in one's hand
Ancestry of “clawful”, step by step
clawful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English claw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | claw | A curved, pointed horny nail on each digit of the... |
| 2 | Middle English | clawe | A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain... |
| 3 | Old English | clawu | claw |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *klawu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klawō | claw |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | klawjaną | to claw or scratch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | glew- | Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |