Where does “gastly” come from?
gastly (Middle English) comes from Middle English gasten, from Old English gǣstan, from Proto-West Germanic *gaistijan, from Proto-Germanic gaistijaną.
Ancestry of “gastly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | gasten | to terrify |
| 2 | Old English | gǣstan | to gast, frighten, afflict, torment; to torment,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *gaistijan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gaistijaną | — |