gauche

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*walkaną“to full, roll up”
2. Frankish · derived from*walkan“to full, trample”
3. Old French · derived fromgaucher“to trample, walk clumsily”
4. French · borrowed fromgauche“left, awkward”
5. English todaygauche

Borrowed from French gauche (“left, awkward”), from gauchir (“to veer, turn”), from Old French gaucher (“to trample, walk clumsily”), from Frankish *walkan (“to full, trample”), from Proto-Germanic *walkaną (“to full, roll up”). Akin to Old High German walchan (“to knead”), Old English wealcian (“to roll up, curl”) and English walk, Old Norse valka (“to drag about”). More at walk.

Words from the same roots