Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “kepen” come from?

kepen (Middle English) comes from Old English cēpan, from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic kōpijaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵab-.

kepen (Middle English): to keep, guard, look after, watch

Definitions

  1. to keep, guard, look after, watch

Ancestry of “kepen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcēpanto seize, hold, observe
2Proto-West Germanic*kōpijan—
3Proto-Germanickōpijanąto look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵab-—

Words derived from “kepen”

  • keep
  • keeping
  • housekeeping
  • upkeep
  • safekeeping
  • recordkeeping
  • keepsake
  • keepeth
  • timekeeping
  • beekeeping
  • shopkeeping
  • scorekeeping
  • keepest
  • storekeeping
  • keepalive
  • groundskeeping
  • innkeeping
  • goalkeeping
  • seakeeping
  • watchkeeping
  • gamekeeping
  • stationkeeping
  • zookeeping
  • gatekeep
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵab- →