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”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁- →