Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “clawe” come from?

clawe (Middle English) comes from Old English clawu, from Proto-West Germanic *klawu, from Proto-Germanic klawō, from Proto-Germanic klawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.

clawe (Middle English): A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain...

Definitions

  1. A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain...

Ancestry of “clawe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishclawuclaw
2Proto-West Germanic*klawu—
3Proto-Germanicklawōclaw
4Proto-Germanicklawjanąto claw or scratch
5Proto-Indo-Europeanglew-Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow

Words derived from “clawe”

  • claw
  • clawlike
  • clawback
  • clawless
  • clawfoot
  • catclaw
  • declaw
  • Ravenclaw
  • clawfooted
  • clawhand
  • foreclaw
  • longclaw
  • clawer
  • claweth
  • beclawed
  • claw hammer
  • clawbed
  • beclaw
  • clawsome
  • clawest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- →