English
gaolbait
From gaol + bait, see jailbait.
Proto-Italic *kawos
…
Latin cavea ‘cavity, coop, cage’
Late Latin caveola ‘little cage’
Medieval Latin gabiola
Middle English gayole ‘jail, prison’
English gaol
Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- ‘to cleave, split, separate’
…
Proto-Germanic *bītaną ‘to bite’
Proto-Germanic *baitijaną ‘to make bite’
Old Norse beita ‘food, bait’
Middle English bayte ‘Bait or lure’
English bait
Today it means
noun Dated spelling of jailbait.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / gaolbait