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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | klebēn | to stick; cleave |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | klibēn | to stick, to adhere |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | klibāną | to stick, to adhere |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gleybʰ- | to stick |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |