Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “gegn-” come from?

gegn- (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic gagin — towards, in the direction of; against.

Ancestry of “gegn-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicgagintowards, in the direction of; against

Words derived from “gegn-”

  • gainstrive
  • gaingiving
  • gainbirth
  • gainrising
  • gainstay
  • gainspeaker
  • gaincoming
  • gainspeaking
  • gain-
  • gaintaking
  • gainturning
  • gainstriving
  • gainstrife
  • gainwise
  • gainset
  • gain-
Every word from Proto-Germanic gagin →