Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “sleifen” come from?

sleifen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German sleifen, from Proto-West Germanic slaipijan — to pull along, to drag.

Ancestry of “sleifen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germansleifento drag
2Proto-West Germanicslaipijanto pull along, to drag

Words derived from “sleifen”

  • schleefen
Every word from Proto-West Germanic slaipijan →