Where does “харфа” come from?
харфа (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Old High German harfa, from Proto-West Germanic harpā, from Proto-Germanic harpǭ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kreb-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
харфа (Serbo-Croatian): harp
Ancestry of “харфа”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | harfa | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | harpā | harp |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | harpǭ | harp |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kreb- | to turn; to touch; to turn, bend, shrink, rotate,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |