Where does “keep” come from?
Keep derives from Middle English kepen, Old English cēpan, Proto-Germanic kōpijaną, and Proto-Indo-European ǵab-, though the precise original meaning remains uncertain.
keep (English): To continue in ; not to intermit or fall from; to...
Definitions
- To continue in ; not to intermit or fall from; to...
Ancestry of “keep”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | kepen | to keep, guard, look after, watch |
| 2 | Old English | cēpan | to seize, hold, observe |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *kōpijan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kōpijaną | to look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵab- | — |
Words derived from “keep”