Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “noncleavable” come from?

noncleavable (English) comes from English cleavable, from English cleave, from Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofian, from Proto-West Germanic klibēn, from Proto-Germanic klibāną, from Proto-Indo-European gleybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gley- — to be cold, to freeze.

noncleavable (English): That cannot be cleaved

Definitions

  1. That cannot be cleaved

Ancestry of “noncleavable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcleavableCapable of being cleaved
2EnglishcleaveTo split or sever something with, or as if with,...
3Middle EnglishclevenTo cleave; to split or slice through; To break...
4Old Englishclēofian—
5Proto-West Germanicklibēnto stick, to adhere
6Proto-Germanicklibānąto stick, to adhere
7Proto-Indo-Europeangleybʰ-to stick
8Proto-Indo-Europeangley-to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick...
9Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →