Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “golden” come from?

golden (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic guldanaz, from Proto-Germanic geldaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰeldʰ- — to repay, reward; to pay; to pay for, repay.

Ancestry of “golden”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicguldanaz—
2Proto-Germanicgeldanąto pay; to have/give value
3Proto-Indo-Europeangʰeldʰ-to repay, reward; to pay; to pay for, repay

Words derived from “golden”

  • yolden
  • yolden
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰeldʰ- →