Where does “innkeeping” come from?

innkeeping (English) comes 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-.

innkeeping (English): The trade of an innkeeper; hostelry

Definitions

  1. The trade of an innkeeper; hostelry

Ancestry of “innkeeping”, step by step

innkeeping traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English keeping

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishkeepingconformity or harmony; charge or care;...
2EnglishkeepTo continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain
3Middle Englishkepento keep, guard, look after, watch
4Old Englishcēpanto seize, hold, observe
5Proto-West Germanic*kōpijan
6Proto-Germanickōpijanąto look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵab-

via English inn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishinnAny establishment where travellers can procure...
2Middle EnglishinAny kind of accomodation; particularly; A home or...
3Old Englishinnin; inn
4Old Englishinneinside, in; indoors
5Proto-Germanicinnaiwithin, inside
6Proto-Germanicinin; into
7Proto-Indo-Europeanénin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵab-