Where does “misgiving” come from?
Misgiving derives from English give, which traces to Proto-Indo-European mey- and meit-, roots expressing the concept of exchange or transfer.
misgiving (English): doubt, apprehension, a feeling of dread
Definitions
- doubt, apprehension, a feeling of dread
Ancestry of “misgiving”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | misgive | To give fear or doubt to; to make irresolute; To... |
| 2 | English | give | To move, shift, provide something abstract or... |
| 3 | English | foregive | To give ahead of time; give in advance |
| 4 | English | fore- | Positioned at or near the front; Before; ahead or... |
| 5 | English | Fore | A people of Papua New Guinea |
| 6 | German | Fahr | — |
| 7 | German | Fähre | ferry |
| 8 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 9 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 10 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 11 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “misgiving”