Where does “gift” come from?

gift (Swedish) comes from German gift, from Middle High German gift, from Old High German gift, from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic giftiz, from Proto-Germanic gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ- — to give.

gift (Swedish): poison; venom; virus; toxin; married

Definitions

  1. poison; venom; virus; toxin; married

Ancestry of “gift”, step by step

gift traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German gift

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangiftpoison; toxin; venom
2Middle High Germangiftgift, something given
3Old High Germangiftgift
4Proto-West Germanic*gifti—
5Proto-Germanicgiftizgiving, gift
6Proto-Germanicgebanąto give
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰebʰ-to give

via Old Swedish gipt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Swedishgiptgift; the giving of a woman as a bride; rent
2Old Norsegiptgift; good luck

Words derived from “gift”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ- →