gap

Where does the word "gap" come from? It comes from Old Norse gap, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Gap’s story begins in Old Norse: gap meant “an opening, a chasm.” An opening or chasm, especially in a landscape. It reached English by 1300s as gap. Settled as the standard English word for a break or opening. Today, gap means a break or opening in something, or a difference between two things.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval gap "an opening, a chasm", an opening or chasm, especially in a landscape.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s gap "a break or opening between two things", settled as the standard English word for a break or opening.