Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Weight; Heaviness, the feel of weight; The act or...

Ancestry of “heft”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanheft—
2Germanheftento fasten; to tack; to stick
3Middle High Germanheften—
4Old High Germanheften—
5Proto-West Germanichaftijanto make bound; to bind, secure
6Proto-Germanichaftijanąto make bound; to bind, secure
7Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

Words derived from “heft”

  • hefty
  • heftily
  • heftiness
  • heftable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →