Where does “sharp” come from?

Sharp comes from Middle English scharp, Old English sċearp, Proto-Germanic skarpaz, and Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb-, (s)ker-, and sek-, all related to cutting or scraping.

sharp (English): Terminating in a point or edge, especially one...

Definitions

  1. Terminating in a point or edge, especially one...

Ancestry of “sharp”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishscharpsharp
2Old Englishsċearpsharp
3Proto-West Germanicskarpsharp
4Proto-Germanicskarpazrough
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kerb-rough, sharp
6Proto-Indo-Europeansḱer-to caw, crow

Words derived from “sharp”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skarpaz →