Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “gêne” come from?

gêne (French) comes from Middle French gehenne, from Old French gehine, from Old French gehir, from Frankish jehhjan, from Proto-Germanic jehaną, from Proto-Indo-European yék-e-ti, from Proto-Indo-European yek- — to utter.

gêne (French): embarrassment; discomfort, inconvenience;...

Definitions

  1. embarrassment; discomfort, inconvenience;...

Ancestry of “gêne”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchgehenne—
2Old Frenchgehinepunishment resulting from admission of guilt;...
3Old Frenchgehirto admit, confess, acknowledge
4Frankishjehhjanto say, confess
5Proto-Germanicjehanąto speak, say, express
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyék-e-ti—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanyek-to utter

Words derived from “gêne”

  • gene
  • jenă
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yek- →