Where does “howff” come from?
howff (English) comes from Scots howff, from Scots howf, from Middle Dutch hof, from Old Dutch hof, from Proto-West Germanic *hōf, from Proto-Germanic hufą, from Proto-Indo-European keup-, from Proto-Indo-European keu- — bend; vault, hole; to shine; light; bright.
howff (English): tavern; public house
Ancestry of “howff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Scots | howff | a haunt or meeting place; to resort to a place |
| 2 | Scots | howf | timber yard; burial ground |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | hof | court, enclosed space; garden; farmstead |
| 4 | Old Dutch | hof | court, farmstead |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *hōf | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hufą | hill, elevated place; house, hall, estate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | keup- | to arch, bend, buckle; a hollow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | keu- | bend; vault, hole; to shine; light; bright |