Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “give” come from?

Give comes from Old Norse gefa, from Proto-Germanic gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰab(ʰ)-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ-.

give (English): To move, shift, provide something abstract or...

Definitions

  1. To move, shift, provide something abstract or...

Ancestry of “give”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishforegiveTo give ahead of time; give in advance
2Englishfore-Positioned at or near the front; Before; ahead or...
3EnglishForeA people of Papua New Guinea
4GermanFahr—
5GermanFähreferry
6Middle High Germanverren—
7Old High Germanferranafrom afar
8Old High Germanferroafar; skipper
9Proto-West Germanic*ferrō—
10Proto-Germanicferraifar, distant
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-nóy—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “give”

  • giving
  • Thanksgiving
  • thanksgiving
  • caregiving
  • misgiving
  • almsgiving
  • giveaway
  • givest
  • lawgiving
  • misgive
  • giveness
  • ungiving
  • givingness
  • givee
  • prizegiving
  • outgive
  • givable
  • unmisgiving
  • ungive
  • overgive
  • nongiving
  • foregive
  • regive
  • gaingiving
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →