Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “paraf” come from?

paraf (Middle English) comes from Middle French paraphe, from Middle French paragraphe, from Latin paragraphus, from Ancient Greek παράγραφος, from Ancient Greek γράφω, from Proto-Hellenic grəpʰō, from Proto-Indo-European gerbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

Ancestry of “paraf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchparaphe—
2Middle Frenchparagraphe—
3Latinparagraphusparagraph
4Ancient Greekπαράγραφοςshort stroke in the margin marking a break in...
5Ancient Greekγράφωto scratch, cut into; to draw, sketch, paint; to...
6Proto-Hellenicgrəpʰōto scratch, cut or carve into; to draw ,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeangerbʰ-to carve
8Proto-Indo-Europeanger-to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ger- →