Etymology

gast

G2A1S1T1

Today it means: To frighten. Full definition →

Middle English gasten ← Old English gǣstan ← Proto-Germanic *gaistijaną
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gast · verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*gaistijaną
  2. Old English · inherited fromgǣstan
  3. Middle English · inherited fromgasten
  4. English todaygast

From Middle English gasten, from Old English gǣstan, from Proto-Germanic *gaistijaną. Also spelled ghast due to association with ghost.

Gast · proper noun2

  1. Old French · derived fromgast“wasteland”
  2. English todayGast

* As a German surname, from Gast (“guest”) (see below). * As an Alemannic German surname, shortened from the personal Germanic names Arbogast and Gastolf (compare German Gasthof). * As a French surname, from Old French gast (“wasteland”).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishgasten all →

ghast

Old Englishgǣstan all →

ghastly

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.