Where does “keep” come from?

keep (Yola) comes from Middle English kepen, from Old English cēpan, from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic kōpijaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵab-.

keep (Yola): to keep

Definitions

  1. to keep

Ancestry of “keep”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishkepento keep, guard, look after, watch
2Old Englishcēpanto seize, hold, observe
3Proto-West Germanic*kōpijan—
4Proto-Germanickōpijanąto look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵab-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵab- →Every word from Proto-Germanic kōpijaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan →
keep — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer