Where does “leap” come from?

Leap comes from Middle English lepen, from Old English hlēapan, from Proto-Germanic hlaupaną, from Proto-Indo-European klaup-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lew-.

leap (English): To jump; To pass over by a leap or jump; To...

Definitions

  1. To jump; To pass over by a leap or jump; To...

Ancestry of “leap”, step by step

leap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English lepen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlepento leap
2Old Englishhlēapanto run, leap
3Proto-West Germanichlaupanto jump forward, to leap
4Proto-Germanichlaupanąto jump forward, to leap
5Proto-Indo-Europeanklaup-—

via Proto-West Germanic *laup

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*laup—
2Proto-Germaniclaupazvessel; container; basket; a measure; portion;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanlewbʰ-to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlēw-to sound, resound, sing out; to leave

Words derived from “leap”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European klaup- →