Where does “gulf” come from?
Gulf comes from Middle English gulf, from Old French golf, from Italian golfo, from Late Latin colfus, from Ancient Greek κόλπος meaning "bosom" or "bay," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷel-.
gulf (English): A hollow place in the earth; an abyss; a deep...
Definitions
- A hollow place in the earth; an abyss; a deep...
Ancestry of “gulf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | gulf | — |
| 2 | Old French | golf | — |
| 3 | Italian | golfo | gulf |
| 4 | Latin | colfos | — |
| 5 | Latin | colpus | stroke; strike; hit |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κόλπος | bosom, lap; a fold in fabric around the bosom;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷelp- | to bend; to curve, arch |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |
Words derived from “gulf”