Where does “gay” come from?

gay (Middle French) comes from Old French gai, from Old Occitan gai, from Proto-Germanic ganhuz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ- — to walk; to step.

gay (Middle French): cheerful; happy; gay

Definitions

  1. cheerful; happy; gay

Ancestry of “gay”, step by step

gay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French gai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchgaihappy; cheerful; gay
2Old Occitangaihappy; joyous
3Proto-Germanicganhuzfast, quick
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰengʰ-to walk; to step

via Occitan gai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Occitangai—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ganhuz →Every word from Old Occitan gai →
gay — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer