Etymology Explorer › Scots

Where does “gill” come from?

gill (Scots) comes from Middle English gille, from Old French gille, from Medieval Latin gillo, from Gaulish gallā, from Proto-Germanic gallǭ, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.

gill (Scots): a measure of liquid equivalent to one-fourth of a...

Definitions

  1. a measure of liquid equivalent to one-fourth of a...

Ancestry of “gill”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgille—
2Old Frenchgillea wine measure; wine measure
3Medieval Latingilloearthenware jar; A cooler for liquids
4Gaulishgallāvessel
5Proto-Germanicgallǭgall, bile
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- →