Where does “heft” come from?
Heft comes from Old Norse hefð, from Old Norse hafa, from Proto-Germanic habjaną, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p-, meaning to grasp or seize.
heft (English): Weight; Heaviness, the feel of weight; The act or...
Definitions
- Weight; Heaviness, the feel of weight; The act or...
Ancestry of “heft”, step by step
heft traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via German heft
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | heft | notebook, writing booklet, cahier, composition book book in which notes or memoranda are written |
| 2 | German | heften | to fasten; to tack; to stick |
| 3 | Middle High German | heften | — |
| 4 | Old High German | heften | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | haftijan | to make bound; to bind, secure |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | haftijaną | to make bound; to bind, secure |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via Middle English heft
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | heft | weight |
| 2 | Middle English | heven | To raise, lift, heave; Alternative form of haven |
| 3 | Old English | hebban | to lift, raise |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | habbjan | to have; to lift |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | habjaną | to have, to hold; to lift, heave |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyé- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |