Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Griffbrett” come from?

Griffbrett (German) comes from German griff, from Middle High German grif, from Old High German grif, from Proto-West Germanic *gripi, from Proto-Germanic gripiz, from Proto-Germanic grīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰreyb-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.

Griffbrett (German): fingerboard

Definitions

  1. fingerboard

Ancestry of “Griffbrett”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangrifffirst/third-person singular preterite of greifen
2Middle High Germangrif—
3Old High Germangrif—
4Proto-West Germanic*gripi—
5Proto-GermanicgripizA grip, grabbing or grasp; Something that is held...
6Proto-Germanicgrīpanąto grab, grasp
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰreyb-to grab, grasp; to grasp, grab; to grab, to grasp
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- →