Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “[[kamb]], [[camb]], [[chamb]]” come from?

[[kamb]], [[camb]], [[chamb]] (Middle High German) comes from Old High German chamb, from Proto-West Germanic kamb, from Proto-Germanic kambaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵómbʰos, from Proto-Indo-European ǵómbʰ- — to pierce, gnaw through; tooth, horn, peg.

Ancestry of “[[kamb]], [[camb]], [[chamb]]”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanchambcomb
2Proto-West Germanickambcomb
3Proto-Germanickambazcomb
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵómbʰostooth; row of teeth; peg
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵómbʰ-to pierce, gnaw through; tooth, horn, peg
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵómbʰ- →