diacritic used in Baltic and Slavic languages, 1953, from Czech háček, diminutive of hak "hook," from Old High German hako "hook," from Proto-Germanic *hoka-, from PIE root *keg- "hook, tooth."
Entries linking to hacek
*keg-
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "hook, tooth."
It forms all or part of: hacek; hack (v.1) "to cut roughly, cut with chopping blows;" hake; Hakenkreuz; heckle; hook; hooker.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Russian kogot "claw;" Old English hoc "hook, angle."