The story
- Gothic · derived from𐌲𐌰𐍆𐌰𐌷“clasp”
- Old Occitan · derived fromgaf“clasp”
- French · borrowed fromgaffe“blunder”
- English todaygaffe
From French gaffe (“blunder”), in turn from Old Occitan gaf (“clasp”). Ultimately derived from Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍆𐌰𐌷 (gafah, “clasp”, noun) (𐌲𐌰- (ga-, intensifier) + 𐍆𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (fahan, “to catch”)). Doublet of gaff.
Words from the same roots
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.