Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “go” come from?

Go comes from Japanese 碁, from Chinese 圍棋, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ-.

go (English): To move; To work or function ; to move or...

Definitions

  1. To move; To work or function ; to move or...

Ancestry of “go”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishgoonAlternative form of gon
2Middle Englishgonto go; past participle of gon; Alternative form...
3Old Englishgānto go
4Proto-West Germanicgānto go
5Proto-Germanicgānąto go, walk
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰengʰ-to walk; to step

Words derived from “go”

  • gone
  • goes
  • bygone
  • goest
  • goner
  • gofer
  • goneness
  • ingo
  • goback
  • goey
  • go-devil
  • get-go
  • git-go
  • go-go
  • go-round
  • go-cart
  • go postal
  • goneski
  • downgone
  • go-to
  • ゴー
  • go
  • go
  • go
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ- →