Where does “gift” come from?
gift (Danish) comes from German gift, from Middle High German gift, from Old High German gift, from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic giftiz, from Proto-Germanic gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ- — to give.
gift (Danish): poison; married; imperative of gifte
Definitions
- poison; married; imperative of gifte
Ancestry of “gift”, step by step
gift traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German gift
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | gift | poison; toxin; venom |
| 2 | Middle High German | gift | gift, something given |
| 3 | Old High German | gift | gift |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *gifti | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | giftiz | giving, gift |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gebaną | to give |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰebʰ- | to give |
via Danish gifte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | gifte | indefinite plural of gift; inflection of gift: ##... |
| 2 | Old Norse | gipta | give away in marriage |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *giftijaną | to gift, give (something) |