Where does “strif” come from?
strif (Middle English) comes from Old French estrif, from Old French estriver, from Frankish strīban, from Proto-Germanic strībaną, from Proto-Indo-European streybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ster- — sterile, infertile.
strif (Middle English): conflict; dispute
Ancestry of “strif”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | estrif | quarrel; dispute |
| 2 | Old French | estriver | to compete; to argue; to dispute; to get into an... |
| 3 | Frankish | strīban | to exert, to make an effort |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | strībaną | to be stiff; stiffen; to exert; make an effort |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | streybʰ- | to be stiff |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |
Words derived from “strif”