Where does “caregiving” come from?
Caregiving derives from care, which combines the English noun care with giving, ultimately tracing to Old Norse gefa and Proto-Indo-European ǵeh₂r-, meaning to give or bestow.
caregiving (English): The provision of healthcare services
Definitions
- The provision of healthcare services
Ancestry of “caregiving”, step by step
caregiving traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English giving
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | giving | present participle of give; having the tendency... |
| 2 | English | give | To move, shift, provide something abstract or... |
| 3 | English | foregive | To give ahead of time; give in advance |
| 4 | English | fore- | Positioned at or near the front; Before; ahead or... |
| 5 | English | Fore | A people of Papua New Guinea |
| 6 | German | Fahr | — |
| 7 | German | Fähre | ferry |
| 8 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 9 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 10 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 11 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English care
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | care | Grief, sorrow; Close attention; concern;... |
| 2 | Middle English | care | grief; sorrow |
| 3 | Old English | caru | worry, anxiety, care; sorrow, grief |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | karu | care, worry |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | karō | complaint, lament, grievance, moan; worry,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵeh₂r- | to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry |