Etymograph

English

gathering

Gathering comes from Old English gaderung ‘gathering, assembly’, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *gadur.

  1. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gadur1‘together, gathered’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gadurōn2‘to gather, bring together’reconstructedderived within Proto-West Germanic
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150gaderian3‘to bring together, gather’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150gaderung4‘gathering, assembly’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gadering4
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1981gathering4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English gaderian
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English gaderung
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English gathering
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology: “The Neolithic culture from 8000 to 6000 B.C., however,…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gadurWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn‘together, gathered’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gadurōnWiktionary, Old English gaderian‘to gather, bring together’reconstructedderived within Proto-West Germanic
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150gaderianWiktionary, Old English gaderung‘to bring together, gather’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150gaderungWiktionary, English gathering‘gathering, assembly’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gaderingWiktionary, English gathering
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1981gatheringWiktionary, English gathering. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology: “The Neolithic culture from 8000 to 6000 B.C., however,…”

Formed from gather + -ing

Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- ‘to unite, assemble, keep’

Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn ‘to bring together, unite, gather’

Old English gaderian ‘to gather, assemble’

Middle English gaderen ‘to assemble, congregate’

English gather

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- ‘to join’

good, best, better, together, gad, 6 more

Today it means

noun A meeting or get-together; a party or social function.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “gathering”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn, Old English gaderian, Old English gaderung. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *gadur / gathering

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