Where does “crab” come from?
crab (Middle English) comes from Old English crabba, from Proto-West Germanic krabbō, from Proto-Germanic krabbô, from Proto-Germanic krabbōną, from Proto-Indo-European gerbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...
crab (Middle English): Alternative form of crabbe
Definitions
- Alternative form of crabbe
Ancestry of “crab”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | crabba | crab; crayfish |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | krabbō | crab |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | krabbô | crab |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | krabbōną | to scratch, scrape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |