Etymology

gnu

G2N1U1

Today it means: A large antelope of the genus Connochaetes, native to Africa, having curved horns. Full definition →

Dutch gnoe ← Khoekhoe ǃnu:
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gnu · noun1

  1. Khoekhoe · derived fromǃnu:
  2. Dutch · derived fromgnoe
  3. English todaygnu

From Dutch gnoe, from Khoekhoe ǃnu:, of unknown origin, likely onomatopoeic of the grunt-type noise of the gnu.

GNU · proper noun2

  1. EnglishGNU
  2. Proto-Indo-European*né
  3. Proto-Germanic*ne
  4. Proto-West Germanic*ne
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ey-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂óyu
  7. Proto-Germanic*aiwaz
  8. Proto-West Germanic*aiw
  9. Proto-West Germanic*naiw
  10. Proto-Indo-European*wekʷ-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*wékʷtisder.?
  12. Proto-Indo-European*weǵʰ-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*wéǵʰtisder.?
  14. Proto-Germanic*wihtą
  15. Proto-West Germanic*wiht
  16. Proto-West Germanic*naiwwiht
  17. Old Englishnāwiht
  18. Old English*nōht
  19. Middle Englishnought
  20. Middle Englishnot
  21. Englishnot
  22. Proto-Indo-European*mel-
  23. Proto-Indo-European*ml̥tós?
  24. Proto-Italic*moltos
  25. Latinmulti-
  26. Proto-Indo-European*pel-der.?
  27. Latinmultiplex
  28. Englishmultiplexed
  29. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  30. Proto-Italic*en
  31. Proto-Italic*en-
  32. Latinin-
  33. Ancient Greekμορφή (morphḗ)der.?
  34. Latinfōrma
  35. Latinfōrmō
  36. Latinīnfōrmō
  37. Late Latinīnfōrmātiō
  38. Middle Englishenformacioun
  39. Englishinformation
  40. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  41. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  42. Proto-Italic*kom
  43. Proto-Italic*kom-
  44. Latincon-
  45. Latinputus
  46. Latinputō
  47. Latincomputō
  48. Latincomputāre
  49. Frenchcomputer
  50. Englishcomputing
  51. Proto-Indo-European*ser-der.?
  52. Proto-Italic*serwos
  53. Latinservus
  54. Latinservitium
  55. Old Frenchservise
  56. Old Englishserfis
  57. Middle Englishservise
  58. Englishservice
  59. EnglishMultiplexed Information and Computing Service
  60. EnglishMultics
  61. Englisheunuchinflu.
  62. EnglishUnix
  63. Englishgnuinflu.
  64. EnglishGNU's not Unixacronym
  65. English todayGNU

Coined by Richard Stallman in 1983 as a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix”, following convention of naming programs similar to or inspired by existing programs as “(New Name) Is Not (Old Name)”; compare Xinu. Specifically influenced by lack of English words of form ?nu (“?NU is Not Unix”), that gnu is the alphabetically first (and in fact only) English word of the form ?nu (“?’s Not Unix”), that gnu was perceived as a humorous word, and the existence of the song “The Gnu”.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.