Where does “clēaf” come from?

clēaf (Old English) comes from Old English clēofan, from Proto-West Germanic kleuban, from Proto-Germanic kleubaną, from Proto-Indo-European glewbʰ- — to split.

Ancestry of “clēaf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishclēofanto separate, split, divide; to cleave, split; to...
2Proto-West Germanickleubanto split, to cleave
3Proto-Germanickleubanąto split, to cleave
4Proto-Indo-Europeanglewbʰ-to split
Every word from Proto-Indo-European glewbʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic kleubaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic kleuban →
clēaf — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer