Where does “cleaver” come from?
cleaver (English) comes from Middle English clevere, from Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofian, from Proto-West Germanic klibēn, from Proto-Germanic klibāną, from Proto-Indo-European gleybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gley-, from Proto-Indo-European gel- — to be cold, to freeze.
cleaver (English): A squarish, heavy knife used by butchers for...
Definitions
- A squarish, heavy knife used by butchers for...
Ancestry of “cleaver”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | clevere | A wood-splitter |
| 2 | Middle English | cleven | To cleave; to split or slice through; To break... |
| 3 | Old English | clēofian | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | klibēn | to stick, to adhere |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klibāną | to stick, to adhere |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gleybʰ- | to stick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |