gab

gab · noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic*gabbōną
2. Old Norsegabb
3. Middle Englishgab
4. English todaygab

Inherited from Middle English gab, gabbe, from Old Norse gabb (“jest, mockery”) (whence also Old French gab, gap (“mockery, derision, scorn”)). Cognate with Icelandic gabb (“hoax”).

gab · verb²

1. Proto-Germanic*gabbōną
2. Proto-West Germanic*gabbōn
3. Old Englishgabban
4. Middle Englishgabben
5. English todaygab

From Middle English gabben, from Old English gabban (“to scoff, mock, delude, jest”) and Old Norse gabba (“to mock, make sport of”); both from Proto-Germanic *gabbōną (“to mock, jest”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to be split, be forked, gape”). Cognate with Scots gab (“to mock, prate”), North Frisian gabben (“to jest, sport”), Middle Dutch gabben (“to mock”), Middle Low German gabben (“to jest, have fun”).

Gab · proper noun³

Clipping of Gabriel.

Words from the same roots