Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “cepan” come from?

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

cepan (Old English): to seize, hold, observe

Definitions

  1. to seize, hold, observe

Ancestry of “cepan”, step by step

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

Words derived from “cepan”

  • 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- →