*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of haft

From Middle English haft, from Old English hæft, from Proto-West Germanic *haftī, from Proto-Germanic *haftiją.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To fit a handle to (a tool or weapon). · To grip by the handle.

noun

The handle of a tool or weapon.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English haft, from Old English hæft, from Proto-West Germanic *haftī, from Proto-Germanic *haftiją.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*kap-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionhaftenm
  • Inherited-form mentionhæftang
  • Inherited-form mention*haftīgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*haftijągem-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "*kap-",
        "id": "seize"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "haft"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English haft"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hæft"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hæft"
    },
    {
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      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *haftī"
    },
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    }
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      "haft#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "hæft#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*haftī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/haftī"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/haftiją"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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        "To fit a handle to (a tool or weapon).",
        "To grip by the handle."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

Alternative spelling of heft (“(transitive) to accustom (a flock or group of farm animals, chiefly cattle or sheep) to a piece of pastureland; to establish or settle (someone) in an occupation or place of residence; to establish or plant (something) firmly in a place; (intransitive, reflexive) of a thing: to establish or settle itself in a place”)

noun

Alternative spelling of heft (“piece of pastureland which farm animals (chiefly cattle or sheep) have become accustomed to; flock or group of farm animals (chiefly cattle or sheep) which have become accustomed to a particular piece of pastureland”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See heft (etymology 3).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for haft →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aGFmdA