Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “gap” come from?

gap (Middle English) comes from Old Norse gap, from Old Norse gapa, from Proto-Germanic gapōną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁-.

Ancestry of “gap”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsegapgap, empty space; shouting, crying, gab
2Old Norsegapato gape, open the mouth wide
3Proto-Germanicgapōnąto gaze, observe
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeh₁y-to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰih₁-—

Words derived from “gap”

  • gap
  • bandgap
  • stopgap
  • pseudogap
  • airgap
  • gapless
  • gappy
  • midgap
  • nanogap
  • microgap
  • gapper
  • gappiness
  • multigap
  • intragap
  • subgap
  • minigap
  • widegap
  • pregap
  • gaplessness
  • gaplessly
  • gaplike
  • gap-lapper
  • pseudogapped
  • eigengap
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁- →