Etymograph

English

treff

Treff comes from German Treff ‘meeting point’, from treffen ‘to meet’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- ‘to grind’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰrebʰ-1‘to grind’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*drabaną2‘to hew’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*drepaną3‘to hit, strike’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*drepan3‘to hit, strike’reconstructed
  5. Old High Germanc. 750–1050trëffan3
  6. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350trëffen3
  7. Germanc. 1650–presenttreffen4‘to meet’
  8. Germanc. 1650–presentTreff5‘meeting point’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1955treff5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drabaną
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drepaną, which cites Kroonen
  3. 3 Wiktionary, German treffen
  4. 4 Wiktionary, German Treff
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English treff
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1955, David J. Dallin, Soviet Espionage: “The Moscow experts on treffs perform their duty with…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰrebʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drabaną‘to grind’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*drabanąWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drepaną, which cites Kroonen‘to hew’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*drepanąWiktionary, German treffen‘to hit, strike’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*drepanWiktionary, German treffen‘to hit, strike’reconstructed
  5. Old High Germanc. 750–1050trëffanWiktionary, German treffen
  6. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350trëffenWiktionary, German treffen
  7. Germanc. 1650–presenttreffenWiktionary, German Treff‘to meet’
  8. Germanc. 1650–presentTreffWiktionary, English treff‘meeting point’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1955treffWiktionary, English treff. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1955, David J. Dallin, Soviet Espionage: “The Moscow experts on treffs perform their duty with…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- ‘to grind’

drop, draper, trapping, drab, 4 more

through Proto-Germanic *drepaną ‘to hit, strike’

drape, 1 more

Today it means

noun A covert meeting.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “treff”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *drabaną, Proto-Germanic *drepaną, German treffen, German Treff. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- / treff

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