Etymograph

English

gloat

Gloat comes from Middle English *gloten.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*gloten1reconstructed
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1899gloat1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English gloat
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1899, Rudyard Kipling, Stalky & Co: “They spun wildly on their heels, jodelling after the…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*glotenWiktionary, English gloatreconstructed
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1899gloatWiktionary, English gloat. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1899, Rudyard Kipling, Stalky & Co: “They spun wildly on their heels, jodelling after the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- ‘to shine’

glass, yell, gale, yelp, glaze, hyaline, geld, 16 more

Today it means

verb To exhibit a conspicuous (sometimes malevolent) pleasure or sense of self-satisfaction, often at an adversary's misfortune.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “gloat”. 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 / Middle English *gloten / gloat

Shirt and support for this word