Where does “kerben” come from?
kerben (Middle High German) comes from Old High German kërban, from Proto-West Germanic kerban, from Proto-Germanic kerbaną, from Proto-Indo-European gerbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...
kerben (Middle High German): to notch
Ancestry of “kerben”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | kërban | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | kerban | to carve, to cut |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | kerbaną | to cut |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |