Where does “guide” come from?

Guide comes from Middle English guiden, from Old French guide, from Old Occitan guida and guidar, traced to Proto-Germanic wītaną and ultimately Proto-Indo-European weyd-.

guide (English): Someone who guides, especially someone hired to...

Definitions

  1. Someone who guides, especially someone hired to...

Ancestry of “guide”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishguide—
2Old Frenchguidea guide
3Occitanguida—
4Occitanguidarto guide, to lead
5Frankishwītanto show the way, lead; to accuse, to blame
6Proto-Germanic*witaną—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwóydeto have seen, to know
8Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “guide”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wóyde →Every word from Proto-Germanic *witaną →