Where does “gainseeker” come from?

gainseeker (English) comes from English gain, from Middle French gain, from Old French gaaing, from Old French gaaignier, from Vulgar Latin *wadaniāre, from English unspecified, from English Un-, from Middle English un- — not.

gainseeker (English): A greedy person; one who seeks wealth or other personal benefit

Definitions

  1. A greedy person; one who seeks wealth or other personal benefit

Ancestry of “gainseeker”, step by step

gainseeker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English gain

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgainTo acquire possession of; To have or receive...
2Middle Frenchgainincome
3Old Frenchgaainggain
4Old FrenchgaaignierAlternative form of gaigner; to earn, gain,...
5Vulgar Latin*wadaniāre
6EnglishunspecifiedNot specified; not thoroughly explained or...
7EnglishUn-not
8Middle Englishun-
9Old Englishun-negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms...
10Proto-West Germanicun-not, un-
11Proto-Germanicun-not, un-
12Proto-Indo-Europeann̥-not, un-
13Proto-Indo-Europeannenot

via English seeker

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishseekerOne who seeks; Especially, a religious seeker: a...
2Middle Englishsekar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne