Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “schief” come from?

schief (German) comes from Middle High German schief, from Middle Low German schêf, from Old Saxon skêf, from Proto-West Germanic *skaib, from Proto-Germanic skaibaz, from Proto-Indo-European skeh₂iwo-.

schief (German): skew, oblique, askew, leaning, slanting, aslant,...

Definitions

  1. skew, oblique, askew, leaning, slanting, aslant,...

Ancestry of “schief”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanschief—
2Middle Low Germanschêf—
3Old Saxonskêf—
4Proto-West Germanic*skaib—
5Proto-Germanicskaibazcrooked
6Proto-Indo-Europeanskeh₂iwo-—

Words derived from “schief”

  • schif
Every word from Proto-Indo-European skeh₂iwo- →