Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gosling” come from?

gosling (English) comes from Middle English gosling, from Middle English gesling, from Old Norse gæsling, from Old Norse -lingr, from Proto-Germanic -ilingaz, from Proto-Germanic -ilaz, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

gosling (English): A young goose; A callow ), or foolish and naive,...

Definitions

  1. A young goose; A callow ), or foolish and naive,...

Ancestry of “gosling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishgoslingAlternative form of goselyng
2Middle EnglishgeslingAlternative form of goselyng; gosling
3Old Norsegæsling—
4Old Norse-lingrForms noun-derivatives with sense of 'belonging...
5Proto-Germanic-ilingazForms noun-derivatives with sense of 'belonging...
6Proto-Germanic-ilazagent suffix; diminutive suffix
7Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →