Where does “grīfen” come from?
grīfen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German grīfan, from Proto-West Germanic grīpan, from Proto-Germanic grīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰreyb-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.
Ancestry of “grīfen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | grīfan | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | grīpan | to grab, to grasp |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | grīpaną | to grab, grasp |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰreyb- | to grab, grasp; to grasp, grab; to grab, to grasp |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |
Words derived from “grīfen”