Where does “gear” come from?
Gear comes from Middle English gere with the diminutive suffix -y, from Middle French -ie, from Latin -ium, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- meaning to fit or join.
gear (English): Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used...
Definitions
- Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used...
Ancestry of “gear”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | gere | Alternative form of gery; Alternative form of... |
| 2 | Old Norse | gervi | gear |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | garwijaną | to prepare |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | garwaz | ready, prepared |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 8 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 9 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 10 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 11 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |