Where does “gainful” come from?
Gainful derives from gain, which comes from Old Norse gagn meaning "advantage," ultimately tracing through Latin generāre and genus to Proto-Indo-European roots denoting production and kind.
gainful (English): Contrary; Disposed to taking advantage of;...
Definitions
- Contrary; Disposed to taking advantage of;...
Ancestry of “gainful”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | gain | To acquire possession of; To have or receive... |
| 2 | Middle French | gain | income |
| 3 | Old French | gaaing | gain |
| 4 | Old French | gaaignier | Alternative form of gaigner; to earn, gain,... |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | *wadaniāre | — |
| 6 | English | unspecified | Not specified; not thoroughly explained or... |
| 7 | English | Un- | — |
| 8 | Middle English | un- | — |
| 9 | Old English | un- | negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms... |
| 10 | Proto-West Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | n̥- | not, un- |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | ne | not |
Words derived from “gainful”