Where does “gibbering” come from?
Gibbering derives from English gibber, itself from English gib, which comes from Old French -er and Latin -are, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.
gibbering (English): present participle of gibber; Prone to...
Definitions
- present participle of gibber; Prone to...
Ancestry of “gibbering”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gibber | Gibberish, unintelligible speech; To jabber, talk... |
| 2 | English | GIB | — |
| 3 | English | give | To move, shift, provide something abstract or... |
| 4 | English | foregive | To give ahead of time; give in advance |
| 5 | English | fore- | Positioned at or near the front; Before; ahead or... |
| 6 | English | Fore | A people of Papua New Guinea |
| 7 | German | Fahr | — |
| 8 | German | Fähre | ferry |
| 9 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 10 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 11 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 12 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 13 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |