Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “pfaffe” come from?

pfaffe (Middle High German) comes from Old High German pfaffo, from Latin papa, from Ancient Greek παπᾶς, from Old Norse súla, from Proto-Germanic sūliz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱsewl-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱsew-.

Ancestry of “pfaffe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanpfaffo—
2Latinpapaan infant's cry for food; father; bishop
3Ancient Greekπαπᾶςpriest
4Old Norsesúla—
5Proto-Germanicsūlizbeam, post; column, pillar
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱsewl-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱsew-—

Words derived from “pfaffe”

  • Pfaffe
  • faff
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱsew- →