Climb

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Old English climban, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German klimmen, also to clay and cleave2.

wiktionary

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From Middle English climben, from Old English climban(“to climb”), from Proto-West Germanic *klimban, from Proto-Germanic *klimbaną(“to climb, go up by clinging”), believed to be a nasalised variant of Proto-Germanic *klibaną, *klibāną(“to stick, cleave”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley-(“to stick”). Cognate with West Frisian klimme(“to climb”), Dutch klimmen(“to climb”), German klimmen(“to climb”), Old Norse klembra(“to squeeze”), Icelandic klifra(“to climb”). Related to clamber. See also clay, glue.

etymonline

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climb (v.)

Old English climban "raise oneself using hands and feet; rise gradually, ascend; make an ascent of" (past tense clamb, past participle clumben, clumbe), from West Germanic *klimban "go up by clinging" (source also of Dutch klimmen, Old High German klimban, German klimmen "to climb").

A strong verb in Old English, weak by 16c. Other Germanic languages long ago dropped the -b. Meaning "to mount as if by climbing" is from mid-14c. Figurative sense of "rise slowly by effort or as if by climbing" is from mid-13c. Related: Climbed; climbing.

climb (n.)

1580s, "act of climbing," from climb (v.). Meaning "an ascent by climbing" is from 1915, originally in aviation.