Where does “ref” come from?
ref (Old Dutch) comes from Proto-West Germanic hrif, from Proto-Germanic hrefaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱrep-.
Ancestry of “ref”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-West Germanic | hrif | womb |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hrefaz | body; torso; stomach |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱrep- | — |