Where does “gaybourhood” come from?
gaybourhood (English) comes from English Gay, from English Queen, from Middle English quene, from Old English cwene, from Old English cwēn, from Proto-West Germanic kwāni, from Proto-Germanic kwēniz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn — woman.
Ancestry of “gaybourhood”, step by step
gaybourhood traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Gay
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Gay | originally a nickname for a cheerful or lively person |
| 2 | English | Queen | A title used before the personal name of a queen |
| 3 | Middle English | quene | A queen; Any powerful woman noble; A female... |
| 4 | Old English | cwene | a woman; inflection of cwēn: ##... |
| 5 | Old English | cwēn | queen; woman, wife, queen |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | kwāni | woman, wife |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | kwēniz | wife |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷḗn | woman |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷen- | woman |
via English neighbourhood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | neighbourhood | alternative form of neighborhood |
| 2 | English | neighbour | A person living on adjacent or nearby land; a... |
| 3 | Middle English | neighebor | neighbour; citizen |
| 4 | Old English | nēahġebūr | neighbour |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | nāhwagabūrō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwagabūrô | neighbour |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwaz | near, close |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂nḗḱwos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂neḱ- | to reach, to attain |