Where does “sarff” come from?

sarff (Welsh) comes from German scharf, from Middle High German scharpf, from Old High German scarf, from Proto-West Germanic skarp, from Proto-Germanic skarpaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb-, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.

sarff (Welsh): serpent

Definitions

  1. serpent

Ancestry of “sarff”, step by step

sarff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German scharf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanscharfsharp; able to cut; sharp; sharp; in focus
2Middle High Germanscharpfsharp
3Old High Germanscarfsharp
4Proto-West Germanicskarpsharp
5Proto-Germanicskarpazrough
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kerb-rough, sharp
7Proto-Indo-Europeansḱer-to caw, crow

via Middle Welsh sarf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Welshsarf—
2Proto-Brythonic*sarf—
3Vulgar Latin*sarpēs—
4LatinserpēnsA serpent, snake
5Latinserpōto creep, crawl, move slowly of an animal
6Proto-Indo-Europeanserp-to creep, crawl
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skarpaz →