Where does “Kleve” come from?

Kleve (German) comes from Middle Dutch clēve, from Middle Dutch clif, from Old Dutch klif, from Proto-Germanic klibą — cliff, rock.

Ancestry of “Kleve”, step by step

Kleve traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Dutch clēve

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchclēve—
2Middle Dutchclifcliff
3Old Dutchklif—
4Proto-Germanicklibącliff, rock

via Old High German Cleve

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High GermanCleve—

Words derived from “Kleve”

Every word from Proto-Germanic klibą →Every word from Old Dutch klif →Every word from Middle Dutch clif →