Where does “guiddame” come from?
guiddame (Scots) comes from Scots guid-, from Scots guid, from Middle English gude, from Old English gōd, from Proto-West Germanic gōd, from Proto-Germanic gudą, from Proto-Germanic gastiz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.
guiddame (Scots): grandmother
Ancestry of “guiddame”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Scots | guid- | grand-; -in-law |
| 2 | Scots | guid | good; of good social standing, respectable; good,... |
| 3 | Middle English | gude | — |
| 4 | Old English | gōd | a good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | gōd | good |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gudą | invoked one; god, deity |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | gastiz | stranger, guest |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰóstis | stranger, host |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |