Where does “Schärfe” come from?

Schärfe (German) comes from German scharf, from Middle High German scharpf, from Old High German scarf, from Proto-West Germanic skarp, from Proto-Germanic skarpaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb-, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.

Schärfe (German): sharpness; spiciness, hotness; pungency

Definitions

  1. sharpness; spiciness, hotness; pungency

Ancestry of “Schärfe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanscharfsharp; able to cut; sharp; sharp; in focus
2Middle High Germanscharpfsharp
3Old High Germanscarfsharp
4Proto-West Germanicskarpsharp
5Proto-Germanicskarpazrough
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kerb-rough, sharp
7Proto-Indo-Europeansḱer-to caw, crow

Words derived from “Schärfe”

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