carve

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*gerbʰ-
2. Proto-Germanic*kerbaną
3. Proto-West Germanic*kerban
4. Old Englishċeorfan
5. Middle Englishkerven
6. English todaycarve

From Middle English kerven, from Old English ceorfan, from Proto-West Germanic *kerban, from Proto-Germanic *kerbaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- (“to scratch”). Cognate with West Frisian kerve, Dutch kerven, Low German karven, German kerben (“to notch”); also Old Prussian gīrbin (“number”), Old Church Slavonic жрѣбии (žrěbii, “lot, tallymark”), Ancient Greek γράφειν (gráphein, “to scratch, etch”).

Words from the same roots