clea (Old English)
Where does "clea" come from?
The Old English word 'clea,' meaning a claw or nail, descended from the Proto-West Germanic term *klau. This ancient root is a variant of *klawu, which served as the common ancestor for similar words across various Germanic languages. Over time, this specific form evolved into the modern English 'claw,' retaining its original meaning of a sharp, curved nail.
Full etymology tree
- clea (Old English), 'claw, nail'
- inherited from *klau (Proto-West Germanic)
- derived from *klawu (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited from *klau (Proto-West Germanic)
Descendants and derived words
- cle (Middle English)
Updated April 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris