Where does “gewgawed” come from?

gewgawed (English) comes from English gewgaw, from English gugaw, from Middle English givegove, from Middle English give, from Old English ġiefu, from Proto-West Germanic gebu, from Proto-Germanic gebō — gift; name of the G-rune.

gewgawed (English): Covered in or decorated with gewgaws

Definitions

  1. Covered in or decorated with gewgaws

Ancestry of “gewgawed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgewgawA showy trifle, a toy; a showy trinket, ornament...
2Englishgugaw—
3Middle Englishgivegovegewgaw, trifle
4Middle Englishgivesuggest, given
5Old Englishġiefugift
6Proto-West Germanicgebugift
7Proto-Germanicgebōgift; name of the G-rune
Every word from Proto-Germanic gebō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic gebu →Every word from Old English ġiefu →
gewgawed — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer