Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “handgreiflich” come from?

handgreiflich (German) comes from German greif, 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.

handgreiflich (German): violent; blatant, palpable

Definitions

  1. violent; blatant, palpable

Ancestry of “handgreiflich”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangreifsingular imperative of greifen; first-person...
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- →