gosling

Where does the word "gosling" come from? It comes from Old Norse gæslingr, passing through Old English before entering English (1400s).

Gosling’s story begins in Old Norse: gæslingr meant “gosling.” A young goose. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as gesling. The native form, reshaped by the Norse word. It reached English by 1400s as gosling. Remodelled on 'goose'. Today, gosling means a young goose.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval gæslingr "gosling", a young goose.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s gesling "young goose", the native form, reshaped by the Norse word.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s gosling "young goose", remodelled on 'goose'.