Where does “guy” come from?

guy (Dutch) comes from English Guy, from Old French Gui, from Old High German Wido, from Proto-Germanic widuz, from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- — forest, wood; tree, beam.

guy (Dutch): guy

Definitions

  1. guy

Ancestry of “guy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishGuyAn effigy of Guy Fawkes burned on Bonfire Night
2Old FrenchGui—
3Old High GermanWido—
4Proto-Germanicwiduzwood
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwidʰu-forest, wood; tree, beam
Every word from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- →