Where does “klocke” come from?
klocke (Middle High German) comes from Old High German klocca, from Proto-West Germanic *klokkā, from Medieval Latin clocca, from Old Irish cloc, from Proto-Celtic klokkos, from Proto-Indo-European klēg-.
Ancestry of “klocke”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | klocca | bell; clock |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *klokkā | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | clocca | bell; travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so... |
| 4 | Old Irish | cloc | bell; clock |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | klokkos | bell |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | klēg- | — |