Where does “cleven” come from?

cleven (Middle English) comes from Old English clēofian, from Proto-West Germanic klibēn, from Proto-Germanic klibāną, from Proto-Indo-European gleybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gley-, from Proto-Indo-European gel- — to be cold, to freeze.

cleven (Middle English): To cleave; to split or slice through; To break...

Definitions

  1. To cleave; to split or slice through; To break...

Ancestry of “cleven”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishclēofian—
2Proto-West Germanicklibēnto stick, to adhere
3Proto-Germanicklibānąto stick, to adhere
4Proto-Indo-Europeangleybʰ-to stick
5Proto-Indo-Europeangley-to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick...
6Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze

Words derived from “cleven”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →