Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “cæf” come from?

cæf (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic kafą, from Proto-Indo-European ǵebʰ- — jaw, mouth; to eat, chew; branch.

Ancestry of “cæf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanickafąchaff
2Proto-Indo-Europeanǵebʰ-jaw, mouth; to eat, chew; branch

Words derived from “cæf”

  • chaff
  • chaffinch
  • chaffy
  • chaffless
  • chafflike
  • chaffiness
  • chaffweed
  • caff
  • kaf
  • caf
  • chaf
  • kaff
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵebʰ- →