Where does “gainspeaking” come from?

gainspeaking (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.

gainspeaking (English): A speaking against; opposition

Definitions

  1. A speaking against; opposition

Ancestry of “gainspeaking”, step by step

gainspeaking 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 speaking

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspeakingUsed in speaking; Expressive; eloquent; Involving...
2Middle Englishspeking
3Norwegian Bokmål-ingUsed to form verbal nouns from verbs; -ing; Used...
4Old Norse-ingForms gerund nouns from verbs
5Proto-Germanic-ingō-ing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European neEvery word from English Un-Every word from Proto-Indo-European n̥-
gainspeaking — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer