Where does “cle” come from?
cle (Middle English) comes from Old English clēa, from Latvian klau, from German kläuen, from Middle High German kleuen, from Old High German klawēn, from Proto-Germanic klawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.
cle (Middle English): A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain...
Definitions
- A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain...
Ancestry of “cle”, step by step
cle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English clēa
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | clēa | claw |
| 2 | Latvian | klau | look here!; listen! |
| 3 | German | kläuen | — |
| 4 | Middle High German | kleuen | — |
| 5 | Old High German | klawēn | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | klawjaną | to claw or scratch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | glew- | Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |