Etymograph

English

gulf

Gulf comes from Old French golf, and goes back to Ancient Greek κόλπος ‘bosom, gulf’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκόλποςkólpos‘bosom, gulf’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcolfos
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentgolfo
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400golf
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gulf
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1606same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκόλποςkólpos‘bosom, gulf’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcolfos
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentgolfo
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400golf
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gulf
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1606same form

Earliest quotation: c. 1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Macbeth: “Witch's mummy, maw and gulf / Of the ravined…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp- ‘to curve, arch’

overwhelm, culpable, culpa, 10 more

Today it means

noun A hollow place in the earth; an abyss; a deep chasm or basin.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek κόλπος / gulf

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