Where does “Briefklammer” come from?

Briefklammer (German) comes from German brief, from Middle High German brief, from Old High German briaf, from Latin breve, from Latin brevis, from Proto-Italic *breɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus, from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- — short.

Briefklammer (German): paper clip

Definitions

  1. paper clip

Ancestry of “Briefklammer”, step by step

Briefklammer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German brief

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanbriefletter (written message)
2Middle High Germanbrief
3Old High Germanbriaf
4Latinbrevenominative neuter singular of brevis; accusative...
5Latinbrevisshort, small, little, narrow; brief, short;...
6Proto-Italic*breɣʷis
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmréǵʰusshort; brief
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmreǵʰ-short

via German klammer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanklammercomparative degree of klamm
2Middle High Germanklammer
3Proto-Germanic*klammjan
4Proto-Germanicklamjanąto clamp; to squeeze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰusEvery word from Proto-Italic *breɣʷis