Where does “gaga” come from?

gaga (French) comes from French gâter, from Middle French gaster, from Old French gaster, from Latin vastus, from Proto-Celtic wāstos, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- — to leave, abandon, give out.

gaga (French): gaga (senile)

Definitions

  1. gaga (senile)

Ancestry of “gaga”, step by step

gaga traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French gâter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchgâterto spoil, ruin; to go bad, go off
2Middle Frenchgasterto waste; to destroy
3Old Frenchgasterto waste; to destroy
4LatinvastusEmpty, unoccupied, i.e. waste, desert; Desolate,...
5Proto-Celticwāstosempty
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁weh₂-to leave, abandon, give out

via Occitan gagas

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Occitangagas
2LatingagātēsA hard, black asphalt; variety of lignite; jet, jess
3Ancient Greekγαγάτης

Words derived from “gaga

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂-
gaga — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer