English
Gain
Gain comes from Old French engaigne ‘ingenuity’, from Latin ingenium ‘innate or natural quality, natural character’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, beget’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to produce, beget’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵíǵn̥h₁eti‘to engender’reconstructedreduplicated present stem of *ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gignōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgignō‘to bring forth as a fruit of oneself: to bear, to beget, to engender, to give birth to’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEingenium‘innate or natural quality, natural character’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400engaigne‘ingenuity’
- EnglishtodayGain
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to produce, beget’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵíǵn̥h₁eti‘to engender’reconstructedreduplicated present stem of *ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gignōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgignō‘to bring forth as a fruit of oneself: to bear, to beget, to engender, to give birth to’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEingenium‘innate or natural quality, natural character’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400engaigne‘ingenuity’
- EnglishtodayGain
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, beget’
general, kind, nature, german, nation, generation, king, native, gender, pregnant, gene, oxygen, ken, genre, gentle, genuine, hydrogen, indigenous, genocide, genus, noel, natal, naive, nee, germ, innate, nativity, kin, nada, nascent, naïve, gentile, janata, gens, puny, glycogen, genial, genteel, cognate, genitive, 109 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵíǵn̥h₁eti ‘to engender’
through Proto-Italic *gignō
through Latin gignō ‘to bring forth as a fruit of oneself: to bear,…’
genius, engineer, genital, 4 more
through Latin ingenium ‘innate or natural quality, natural character’
Today it means
name A surname.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- / Gain