Where does “gainfully” come from?
Gainfully derives from English gainful, which comes from English gain, itself from English gin and English again, tracing back through Latin genero and Latin in to Latin genus.
gainfully (English): In a gainful manner; profitably
Definitions
- In a gainful manner; profitably
Ancestry of “gainfully”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gainful | Contrary; Disposed to taking advantage of;... |
| 2 | English | gain | To acquire possession of; To have or receive... |
| 3 | Middle French | gain | income |
| 4 | Old French | gaaing | gain |
| 5 | Old French | gaaignier | Alternative form of gaigner; to earn, gain,... |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | *wadaniāre | — |
| 7 | English | unspecified | Not specified; not thoroughly explained or... |
| 8 | English | Un- | not |
| 9 | Middle English | un- | — |
| 10 | Old English | un- | negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms... |
| 11 | Proto-West Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | n̥- | not, un- |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | ne | not |