Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “gast” come from?

gast (Middle English) comes from Middle English gasten, from Old English gǣstan, from Proto-West Germanic *gaistijan, from Proto-Germanic gaistijaną.

Ancestry of “gast”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgastento terrify
2Old Englishgǣstanto gast, frighten, afflict, torment; to torment,...
3Proto-West Germanic*gaistijan—
4Proto-Germanicgaistijaną—

Words derived from “gast”

  • ghost
  • ghostlike
  • ghosting
  • ghostwriter
  • ghostwritten
  • ghostie
  • ghosty
  • ghostland
  • ghostess
  • ghostbuster
  • ghosthunting
  • ghosthood
  • ghostbusting
  • ghostlore
  • ghostology
  • ghosthunter
  • ghastness
  • ghostfish
  • ghoster
  • ghosthunt
  • unghost
  • ghostling
  • antighost
  • ghostologist
Every word from Proto-Germanic gaistijaną →