English
escarp
Escarp comes from French escarpe ‘murderer, killer’, from Proto-Germanic *skarpaz ‘sharp’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kerb-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skarpaz‘sharp’reconstructed
- Frenchc. 1600–presentescarpe‘murderer, killer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1728escarp
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kerb-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skarpaz‘sharp’reconstructed
- Frenchc. 1600–presentescarpe‘murderer, killer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1728escarp
Earliest quotation: 1728, Daniel Defoe: “Our men, though quite expos'd, and though the Glacis…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb-
sharply, scrub, sharpness, 2 more
through Proto-Germanic *skarpaz ‘sharp’
Today it means
noun —
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb- / escarp