guy

guy · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*widuz
2. Old Dutch · derived fromWido
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*Widō
4. Old French · derived fromGui
5. English todayguy

Coined by semantic widening from the name of Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), an English Catholic executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, which also came to refer to effigies of his image burned annually on Guy Fawkes Night. The name Guy is from Old French Gui, from a Frankish form of Proto-West Germanic *Widō (compare Old Dutch Wido), a short form of names beginning with the element *widu (“wood”), from Proto-Germanic *widuz. Cognate with Italian Guido. Doublet of guido.

guy · noun, verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wītaną“know”
2. Frankish · derived from*wītan
3. Old French · derived fromguie
4. English todayguy

From Old French guie, linked to verb guier (“guide”), from Frankish *wītan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wītaną (“know”). Cognate with English guide.

Guy · proper noun, noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
2. Proto-Indo-European*dwi-
3. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁weydʰh₁-
5. Proto-Indo-European*(h₁)wéydʰ(h₁)us
6. Proto-Germanic*widuz
7. Proto-West Germanic*widu
8. Frankish*Widō
9. Medieval Latin*Widō
10. Old FrenchGui
11. English todayGuy

From Old French Gui, from a Frankish form of Proto-West Germanic *Widō (compare Old Dutch Wido), a short form of names beginning with the element *widu (“wood”), from Proto-Germanic *widuz; see for example modern German Witold and Old Saxon Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido and thus a doublet of Guido. More at wood.

Guy · proper noun⁴

From the Hebrew name גַּיְא (gáy, literally “valley”), with the spelling influenced by the existing English name.

Guy · proper noun⁵

For places which could be from either etymology above.

Words from the same roots