Where does “gift” come from?

gift (Middle English) comes from Old Norse gipt, from Proto-Germanic giftiz, from Proto-Germanic gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ- — to give.

Ancestry of “gift”, step by step

gift traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse gipt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsegiptgift; good luck
2Proto-Germanicgiftizgiving, gift
3Proto-Germanicgebanąto give
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʰebʰ-to give

via Old English ġift

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishġiftgiving, consideration, dowry, wedding

via Old English ġyft

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishġyft—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gebaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic giftiz →