gaunt

Meaning

Adjective

Related

Similar words

Origin

  • From Middle English gawnt, gawnte, from Old French, probably from a Scandinavian/North Germanic source, related to Old Norse gandr ("magic staff, stick"), from Proto-Germanic *gandaz ("stick, staff"), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- ("to beat, hit, drive").
  • Cognate with Icelandic gandur ("magic staff"), Norwegian gand ("tall pointed stick; tall, thin man"), Danish gand, gan, Norwegian gana ("cut-off tree limbs"), Bavarian Gunten ("a kind of wedge or peg"). Related also to Old English gūþ ("battle"), Latin dēfendō ("ward off, defend"). Compare also dialectal Swedish gank.

Modern English dictionary

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Word of the Day

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Challenge yourself

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

And much more

Try out Vedaist now.