Where does “foreclaw” come from?
foreclaw (English) comes from English Fore, from German Fahr, from German Fähre, from Middle High German verren, from Old High German ferrana, from Old High German ferro, from Proto-West Germanic *ferrō, from Proto-Germanic ferrai — passed , crossed.
foreclaw (English): A front claw
Definitions
- A front claw
Ancestry of “foreclaw”, step by step
foreclaw traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fore
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fore | A people of Papua New Guinea |
| 2 | German | Fahr | — |
| 3 | German | Fähre | ferry |
| 4 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 5 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 6 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
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 |