guess

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰed-“to take, seize”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*getaną“to get”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*gitisōną“to guess”
4. Old Norse · derived from*getsa
5. Old Danish · derived fromgetse
6. Middle English · inherited fromgesse
7. Middle English · inherited fromgessen
8. English todayguess

From Middle English gessen (verb) and Middle English gesse (noun), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Danish getse, gitse, getsa (“to guess”), from Old Norse *getsa, *gitsa, from Proto-Germanic *gitisōną (“to guess”), from Proto-Germanic *getaną (“to get”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to take, seize”). Cognate with Danish gisne (“to guess”), Norwegian gissa, gjette (“to guess”), Swedish gissa (“to guess”), Saterland Frisian gisje (“to guess”), Dutch gissen (“to guess”), Low German gissen (“to guess”), Dutch gis (“a guess”). Related also to Icelandic giska ("to guess"; from Proto-Germanic *gitiskōną). Compare also Russian гада́ть (gadátʹ, “to conjecture, guess, divine”), Albanian gjëzë (“riddle”) from gjej (“find, recover, obtain”). More at get.

Words from the same roots