Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gammer” come from?

gammer (English) comes from English godmother, from English mother, from Middle English modren, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.

gammer (English): An old woman

Definitions

  1. An old woman

Ancestry of “gammer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgodmotherA woman present at the christening of a baby who...
2EnglishmotherA female who has given birth to a baby; A human...
3Middle Englishmodrenplural of moder
4Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-—
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →