Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “kleben” come from?

kleben (Middle High German) comes from Old High German klebēn, from Proto-West Germanic klibēn, from Proto-Germanic klibāną, from Proto-Indo-European gleybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gley-, from Proto-Indo-European gel- — to be cold, to freeze.

Ancestry of “kleben”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanklebēnto stick; cleave
2Proto-West Germanicklibēnto stick, to adhere
3Proto-Germanicklibānąto stick, to adhere
4Proto-Indo-Europeangleybʰ-to stick
5Proto-Indo-Europeangley-to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick...
6Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze

Words derived from “kleben”

  • Klebstoff
  • Kleber
  • kleben
  • zukleben
  • Sekundenkleber
  • Aufkleber
  • aufkleben
  • Klebeband
  • Kleberand
  • zusammenkleben
  • klebe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →