Where does “cling” come from?
Cling comes from Middle English clingen, from Old English clingan, from Proto-Germanic klinganą, from Proto-Indo-European gley-, which is a variant of Proto-Indo-European gel-.
cling (English): Fruit whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit;...
Definitions
- Fruit whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit;...
Ancestry of “cling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | clingen | To solidify; to adhere as to form a mass; To... |
| 2 | Old English | clingan | to whither, pine, shrink up, shrink together from... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | klinganą | to sound; to adhere to, cling to |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | glengʰ- | sound |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gal- | to call, cry; to sound; to roop, scream, shout |