Etymology Map
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Guest

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means a person invited to visit, stay, or take part

Where does the word "guest" come from? It comes from Old Norse gestr, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
gestr
Old Norse · medieval
"guest, stranger"
hospitality to travellers was a strict social duty in Norse society, spelled out in the poem Hávamál
2
Stage 2 of 3
gest
Middle English · 1200s
"a visitor"
replaced the native Old English cognate 'giest', whose soft g-sound would have made it 'yest'
3
Stage 3 of 3
guest
English · 1500s
"a person invited to visit or stay"
the silent u was added to spelling to show the g stays hard before e
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Read the full story

Guest’s story begins in Old Norse: gestr meant “guest, stranger.” Hospitality to travellers was a strict social duty in Norse society, spelled out in the poem Hávamál. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as gest. Replaced the native Old English cognate 'giest', whose soft g-sound would have made it 'yest'. It reached English by 1500s as guest. The silent u was added to spelling to show the g stays hard before e. Today, guest means a person invited to visit, stay, or take part.