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Where does the word "gift" come from? It comes from Old Norse gift, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).
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Where does the word "gift" come from? It comes from Old Norse gift, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).
Gift’s story begins in Old Norse: gift meant “a giving, a present.” A giving, or something given, with a positive sense unlike its Old English cousin. It reached English by 1200s as gift. Settled as the word for something given willingly. Today, gift means something given voluntarily without payment, or a natural talent.
- Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval gift "a giving, a present", a giving, or something given, with a positive sense unlike its Old English cousin.
- Stage 2 · English · 1200s gift "something given willingly to another", settled as the word for something given willingly.