Where does “håndkle” come from?
håndkle (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål kle, from Danish klæde, from Old Danish klæthæ, from Old Norse klæði, from Old Frisian klāth, from Proto-Germanic klaiþą, from Proto-Indo-European gleyt-, from Proto-Indo-European gley- — to be cold, to freeze.
håndkle (Norwegian Bokmål): a towel
Ancestry of “håndkle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | kle | to become, suit; to dress |
| 2 | Danish | klæde | cloth; cloths; suit, become; be befitting for |
| 3 | Old Danish | klæthæ | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | klæði | — |
| 5 | Old Frisian | klāth | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | klaiþą | cloth |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gleyt- | to cling to, cleave, stick |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |
Words derived from “håndkle”