Where does “kit” come from?

Kit comes from Middle Dutch kitte, though the original meaning is unknown.

kit (English): A circular wooden vessel, made of hooped staves;...

Definitions

  1. A circular wooden vessel, made of hooped staves;...

Ancestry of “kit”, step by step

kit traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English kyt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishkyt—
2Germankittputty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes
3Old High Germankuti—
4Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
5Proto-Germanickweduzresin
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
7Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

via English kitten

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkittenA young cat, especially before sexual maturity; A...
2Middle Englishkitounkitten
3Middle Englishcatcat (feline)
4Old Englishcattcat
5Proto-West Germanic*kattucat

via Ukrainian кіт

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ukrainianкітtomcat
2Old East Slavicкотъcat
3Proto-Slavickǫtъcorner
4Latincattusa cat
5Latincattaa cat

Words derived from “kit”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →
kit — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer