Cliff etymology

English

English word cliff comes from Proto-Indo-European *gley-, and later Proto-Germanic *klībaną (To stick, cling to.)

Etymology of cliff

Detailed word origin of cliff

Dictionary entry Language Definition
*gley- Proto-Indo-European (ine) to stick, smudge, to stick
*gleybʰ- Proto-Indo-European (ine)
*klībaną Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) To stick, cling to.
*klibą Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) Cliff, rock.
clif Old English (ca. 450-1100) (ang) A cliff; a group of rocks or crag.
cliff English (en) A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.

Words with the same origin as cliff

Descendants of *gley-

clay clean climb clothes cloud