Climb
/klaɪm/noun
To move upward using hands, feet, or both; to ascend.
Did you know?English climb likely comes from a Germanic root meaning “to clamber or cling,” and its deeper ancestry may be linked to words for gripping and clinging rather than graceful rising.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*glei-
“to stick, adhere, be sticky”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klīmaną
“to stick, adhere, cling”
Old English
OE
climban
“to climb, ascend by gripping”
Middle English
ME
climben
“to climb, ascend”
Modern English
English
climb
“to move upward using hands, feet, or both”