Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “harpfe” come from?

harpfe (Middle High German) comes from Old High German harfa, from Proto-West Germanic harpā, from Proto-Germanic harpǭ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kreb-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

Ancestry of “harpfe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanharfa—
2Proto-West Germanicharpāharp
3Proto-Germanicharpǭharp
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kreb-to turn; to touch; to turn, bend, shrink, rotate,...
5Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
6Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “harpfe”

  • glass harpist
  • glass harp
  • арфа
  • Harfe
  • Harfenspieler
  • arfa
  • arfa
  • arfa
  • harfă
  • арфа
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →