Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “kleuen” come from?

kleuen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German klawēn, from Proto-Germanic klawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.

Ancestry of “kleuen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanklawēn—
2Proto-Germanicklawjanąto claw or scratch
3Proto-Indo-Europeanglew-Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow

Words derived from “kleuen”

  • kläuen
  • Klauen
  • klauen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- →