clif

Old English

Alternative forms

• cliu, cleof

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *klib, from Proto-Germanic *klibą. Cognate with Old Saxon klif, Middle Dutch clif, clef (Dutch klif), Old High German kleb, Old Norse klif.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klif/
• Rhymes: -if

Noun

clif n

1. a cliff; a group of rocks or crag
   • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

     An. DCCLXI Hēr wæs sē myċċla winter ⁊ Moll Norðhymbra cining ofslōh Ōswine æt Ædwines clife on octauo Īdūs Agustī.

     Year 761 In this year was the great winter, and King Moll of Northumbria slew Oswine at Edwin's cliff on [in Latin] the eighth Ides of August.

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	clif	clifu
accusative	clif	clifu
genitive	clifes	clifa
dative	clife	clifum

The plural forms also appear with the vowels eo or io instead of i:

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	clif	cleofu
accusative	clif	cleofu
genitive	clifes	cleofa
dative	clife	cleofum

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	clif	cliofu
accusative	clif	cliofu
genitive	clifes	cliofa
dative	clife	cliofum

Related terms

• clifian

Descendants

• Middle English: clif
  • English: cliff
  • Scots: clyft, clift