Where does “κλέφτης” come from?
κλέφτης (Greek) comes from Byzantine Greek κλέφτης, from Ancient Greek κλέπτης, from Ancient Greek κλέπτω, from Proto-Hellenic klépťō, from Proto-Indo-European klép-ye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European ḱlep-, from Proto-Indo-European klep- — to steal.
κλέφτης (Greek): thief, stealer; klepht
Ancestry of “κλέφτης”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Byzantine Greek | κλέφτης | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | κλέπτης | thief; deceitful person |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κλέπτω | I steal, filch; I cheat; I mislead, keep secret |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | klépťō | to steal |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | klép-ye-ti | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlep- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | klep- | to steal |