Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “cheep” come from?

cheep (Middle English) comes from Middle English chapien, from Old English cēap, from Proto-Germanic kaupōną, from Proto-Germanic kaupô, from Latin caupo, from Proto-Indo-European kaup-.

Ancestry of “cheep”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchapien—
2Old Englishcēapcattle, purchase, sale, traffic, business,...
3Proto-Germanickaupōnąto buy; trade
4Proto-Germanickaupôinnkeeper; merchant
5LatincaupoTradesman; Innkeeper, shopkeeper
6Proto-Indo-Europeankaup-—

Words derived from “cheep”

  • cheap
  • cheaply
  • cheapness
  • cheapen
  • cheapskate
  • cheapo
  • cheapie
  • cheapjack
  • cheapish
  • supercheap
  • ultracheap
  • cheapener
  • cheapass
  • cheapshit
  • cheapoid
  • ĉipa
  • チープ
  • chipigar
  • chipa
  • tchipa
  • chipa
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kaup- →