Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sharps” come from?

Sharps comes from Middle English scharp, from Old English sċearp, from Proto-Germanic skarpaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek- meaning to cut.

sharps (English): plural of sharp; Third-person singular simple...

Definitions

  1. plural of sharp; Third-person singular simple...

Ancestry of “sharps”, step by step

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- →