Where does “cleft” come from?
Cleft comes from Middle English clift, from Old English ġeclyft, from Proto-Germanic kluftiz, from Proto-Germanic kleubaną meaning to split or cleave, from Proto-Indo-European glewbʰ-.
cleft (English): An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made...
Definitions
- An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made...
Ancestry of “cleft”, step by step
cleft traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Greek κλέφτης
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greek | κλέφτης | thief, stealer; klepht |
| 2 | Byzantine Greek | κλέφτης | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κλέπτης | thief; deceitful person |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κλέπτω | I steal, filch; I cheat; I mislead, keep secret |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | klépťō | to steal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | klép-ye-ti | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlep- | to steal |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | klep- | to steal |