Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “clawu” come from?

clawu (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic *klawu, from Proto-Germanic klawō, from Proto-Germanic klawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.

clawu (Old English): claw

Definitions

  1. claw

Ancestry of “clawu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*klawu—
2Proto-Germanicklawōclaw
3Proto-Germanicklawjanąto claw or scratch
4Proto-Indo-Europeanglew-Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow

Words derived from “clawu”

  • claw
  • clawlike
  • clawback
  • clawless
  • clawfoot
  • catclaw
  • declaw
  • Ravenclaw
  • clawfooted
  • clawhand
  • foreclaw
  • longclaw
  • clawer
  • claweth
  • beclawed
  • claw hammer
  • clawbed
  • beclaw
  • clawsome
  • clawest
  • clawe
  • clea
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- →