Where does “gaffe” come from?
gaffe (German) comes from German gaffen, from Middle High German gaffen, from Old High German gaffōn, from Proto-Germanic gapōną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁-.
gaffe (German): inflection of gaffen:
## first-person singular...
Definitions
- inflection of gaffen:
## first-person singular...
Ancestry of “gaffe”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | gaffen | to stare at curiously, rubberneck |
| 2 | Middle High German | gaffen | to gape; to stare |
| 3 | Old High German | gaffōn | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gapōną | to gaze, observe |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeh₁y- | to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰih₁- | — |