clé (French)
Where does "clé" come from?
French clé is inherited through Middle French and Old French clef from Latin clāvis, “key,” continuing back through Proto-Italic *klāwis to Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh₂w-. Along the way, the word kept its core sense of a device for locking and unlocking, ultimately linked to an older idea of a hook, peg, or similar tool. The modern spelling clé later replaced older clef, and Bescherelle notes that this change was in place by 1845.
Full etymology tree
- clé (French), 'key (device for unlocking)'
- derived from clef (Middle French), 'key'
- inherited from clef (Old French), 'key'
- inherited from clāvis (Latin), 'a key'
- inherited from *klāwis (Proto-Italic), 'bolt, lock, bar'
- derived from *kleh₂w- (Proto-Indo-European), 'a hook, crook, peg'
- derived from *(s)kleh₂w- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited from *klāwis (Proto-Italic), 'bolt, lock, bar'
- inherited from clāvis (Latin), 'a key'
- inherited from clef (Old French), 'key'
- derived from clef (Middle French), 'key'
Ancestors
- clef (Middle French)
- clef (Old French)
- clavis (Latin)
- *klāwis (Proto-Italic)
- *kleh₂w- (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- à la clé (French)
- clé à cliquet (French)
- clé à douille (French)
- clé à molette (French)
- clé anglaise (French)
- clé de bras (French)
- clé de contact (French)
- clé de lecture (French)
- clé de voûte (French)
- clé d'ut (French)
- clé étrangère (French)
- clé primaire (French)
Updated April 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris