Where does “heafodclaþ” come from?
heafodclaþ (Old English) comes from Old English clāþ, from Proto-Germanic klaiþą, from Proto-Indo-European gleyt-, from Proto-Indo-European gley-, from Proto-Indo-European gel- — to be cold, to freeze.
Ancestry of “heafodclaþ”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | clāþ | cloth, clothes, covering, sail |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | klaiþą | cloth |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | gleyt- | to cling to, cleave, stick |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |