Where does “sharpen” come from?

Sharpen comes from Middle English scharpenen, meaning to make sharp or keen.

sharpen (English): To make sharp; To become sharp

Definitions

  1. To make sharp; To become sharp

Ancestry of “sharpen”, step by step

sharpen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English sharp

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsharpTerminating in a point or edge, especially one...
2Middle Englishscharpsharp
3Old Englishsċearpsharp
4Proto-West Germanicskarpsharp
5Proto-Germanicskarpazrough
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kerb-rough, sharp
7Proto-Indo-Europeansḱer-to caw, crow

via Middle English scharpenen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishscharpenen—

Words derived from “sharpen”

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