Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gigolo” come from?

gigolo (English) comes from French gigolo, from French gigolette, from French giguer, from French gigue, from Old French gige, from Frankish gīge, from Proto-Germanic gīganą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰeyǵʰ-.

gigolo (English): A man who has a sexual relationship with a woman...

Definitions

  1. A man who has a sexual relationship with a woman...

Ancestry of “gigolo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchgigologigolo
2Frenchgigoletteshoulder of rabbit or thigh of poultry; young...
3Frenchgiguerto dance the jig; to dance, gambol, prance,...
4Frenchgiguestring instrument, roughly in the form of a...
5Old Frenchgige—
6Frankishgīgedance, fiddle
7Proto-Germanicgīganąto move, wish, desire
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʰeyǵʰ-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰeyǵʰ- →