clebs (French)
Where does "clebs" come from?
The French term 'clebs' originated from the Algerian Arabic word 'kelb,' meaning dog. It entered the French language during the colonial era, likely popularized by soldiers and settlers who adopted North African slang. While it primarily serves as a casual or slang term for a mutt, it has also evolved to describe a homeless person in certain contexts.
Full etymology tree
- clebs (French), 'dog, mutt'
- borrowed from كلب (Algerian Arabic), 'dog'
- inherited from كَلْب (Arabic), 'dog'
- inherited from *kalb- (Proto-Semitic), 'dog'
- inherited from كَلْب (Arabic), 'dog'
- borrowed from كلب (Algerian Arabic), 'dog'
Updated April 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris