Where does “gauche” come from?
gauche (French) comes from French gauchir, from Middle French gauchir, from Old French gaucher, from Frankish walkan, from Proto-Germanic walkaną, from Proto-Indo-European wolg-, from Proto-Indo-European wel- — to see.
gauche (French): left; awkward, gawky; clumsy
Definitions
- left; awkward, gawky; clumsy
Ancestry of “gauche”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | gauchir | to dodge; to speak or act deceptively; to warp,... |
| 2 | Middle French | gauchir | to veer, turn |
| 3 | Old French | gaucher | to trample, walk clumsily |
| 4 | Frankish | walkan | to full, trample; to roll; to waulk, to full |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | walkaną | to turn, wind, roll, toss; to wend, walk, wander;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wolg- | to twist; turn; move; to turn, twist; to move |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wel- | to see |