Where does “шлајфати” come from?
шлајфати (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German schleifen, from Middle High German sleifen, from Old High German sleifen, from Proto-West Germanic slaipijan — to pull along, to drag.
Ancestry of “шлајфати”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | schleifen | to grind, to whet, to move across a surface... |
| 2 | Middle High German | sleifen | — |
| 3 | Old High German | sleifen | to drag |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | slaipijan | to pull along, to drag |