Where does “gewgawry” come from?
gewgawry (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.
gewgawry (English): Gaudiness; ornamentation, show
Definitions
- Gaudiness; ornamentation, show
Ancestry of “gewgawry”, step by step
gewgawry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gewgaw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gewgaw | A showy trifle, a toy; a showy trinket, ornament... |
| 2 | English | gugaw | — |
| 3 | Middle English | givegove | gewgaw, trifle |
| 4 | Middle English | give | suggest, given |
| 5 | Old English | ġiefu | gift |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | gebu | gift |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | gebō | gift; name of the G-rune |
via English ry
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ry | A test pattern consisting of a repeating character string alternating letters R and Y, used to test five-level teleprinter and radioteletype (RTTY) systems |