Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “give” come from?

give (Middle English) comes from Old English ġiefu, from Proto-West Germanic gebu, from Proto-Germanic gebō — gift; name of the G-rune.

give (Middle English): suggest, given

Definitions

  1. suggest, given

Ancestry of “give”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishġiefugift
2Proto-West Germanicgebugift
3Proto-Germanicgebōgift; name of the G-rune

Words derived from “give”

  • give
  • giving
  • Thanksgiving
  • thanksgiving
  • caregiving
  • misgiving
  • almsgiving
  • giveaway
  • givest
  • lawgiving
  • gyve
  • gewgaw
  • misgive
  • giveness
  • ungiving
  • givingness
  • givee
  • prizegiving
  • outgive
  • givable
  • unmisgiving
  • ungive
  • gewgawed
  • overgive
Every word from Proto-Germanic gebō →