Where does “gatekeeper” come from?
Gatekeeper combines English gate, from Old Norse gata, from Proto-Germanic gatwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰayd-, with the agent noun suffix -keeper.
gatekeeper (English): A person or group who controls access to...
Definitions
- A person or group who controls access to...
Ancestry of “gatekeeper”, step by step
gatekeeper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gate | A doorlike structure outside a house; Doorway,... |
| 2 | Middle English | gate | An entryway or entrance to a settlement or... |
| 3 | Old English | ġeat | gate; a gate, door |
| 4 | Old French | gaut | forest, woods, woodland |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | walþu | forest |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | walþuz | forest |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wel- | to see |