Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clive” come from?

clive (English) comes from Middle English clive, from Old English clife, from Proto-West Germanic *klībā.

clive (English): To climb; ascend; Burdock or agrimony; To split;...

Definitions

  1. To climb; ascend; Burdock or agrimony; To split;...

Ancestry of “clive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcliveAlternative form of clyf
2Old Englishclifeclifers , burdock; burdock
3Proto-West Germanic*klībā—
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *klībā →