Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “underkeep” come from?

underkeep (English) comes 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-.

underkeep (English): To keep under or in subjection; subdue; suppress;...

Definitions

  1. To keep under or in subjection; subdue; suppress;...

Ancestry of “underkeep”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkeepTo continue in ; not to intermit or fall from; to...
2Middle Englishkepento keep, guard, look after, watch
3Old Englishcēpanto seize, hold, observe
4Proto-West Germanic*kōpijan—
5Proto-Germanickōpijanąto look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵab-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵab- →