English
geas
Geas comes from Irish geis ‘injunction’, and goes back to Old Irish geis.
- Old Irishc. 600–900geis
- Irishc. 1200–presentsame form‘injunction’
- English1500–presentsame form
- Englishearliest quotation 1980geas
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Irishc. 600–900geis
- Irishc. 1200–presentsame form‘injunction’
- English1500–presentsame form
- Englishearliest quotation 1980geas
Earliest quotation: 1980, Stephen R. Donaldson, The Wounded Land: “The memory came upon him like a geas, overwhelming…”
The story
The pronunciation resembles Irish geis, though the spelling matches its synonymous but heterophonous alternative form geas.
Every English word from Old Irish geis
Today it means
noun A (generally magical) vow, obligation or injunction placed upon someone to do or not do something, which typically brings harm if violated and blessings if obeyed.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old Irish geis / geas