Where does “gig” come from?
gig (Middle English) comes from English fise, from English fist, from Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst, from Proto-West Germanic fūsti, from Proto-Germanic funstiz, from Proto-Indo-European pnsti-, from Proto-Indo-European pnksti- — five.
gig (Middle English): a frivolous woman
Ancestry of “gig”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fise | An instance of flatulence |
| 2 | English | fist | A hand with the fingers clenched or curled... |
| 3 | Middle English | fist | — |
| 4 | Old English | fȳst | fist |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fūsti | fist |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | funstiz | fist |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pnsti- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pnksti- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pénkʷe | five |