Where does “housekeep” come from?
housekeep (English) comes from English housekeeping, from English keeping, from English keep, from Middle English kepen, from Old English cēpan, from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic kōpijaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵab-.
housekeep (English): To carry out the domestic duties of housekeeping;...
Definitions
- To carry out the domestic duties of housekeeping;...
Ancestry of “housekeep”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | housekeeping | The chores of maintaining a house as a residence,... |
| 2 | English | keeping | conformity or harmony; charge or care;... |
| 3 | English | keep | To continue in ; not to intermit or fall from; to... |
| 4 | Middle English | kepen | to keep, guard, look after, watch |
| 5 | Old English | cēpan | to seize, hold, observe |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *kōpijan | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | kōpijaną | to look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵab- | — |