Where does “arpoen” come from?
arpoen (Middle Dutch) comes from Middle French harpon, from Old French harpon, from Old French harpe, from Latin harpa, from Frankish harpā, from Proto-Germanic harpǭ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kreb-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- — to cut, cut off, sever.
Ancestry of “arpoen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | harpon | hook, hold-on |
| 2 | Old French | harpon | — |
| 3 | Old French | harpe | harp |
| 4 | Latin | harpa | harp |
| 5 | Frankish | harpā | harp |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | harpǭ | harp |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kreb- | to turn; to touch; to turn, bend, shrink, rotate,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |