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Etymology
Dictionary
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Origin and Etymology of the word
GAOL, JAIL.
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From An Etymology
Dictionary of the English Language, by Walter W. Skeat, 1893 |
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GAOL, JAIL,
a cage, prison. (F.,—L.) Spelt gayole in Fabyan's
Chron. an. 1293; gayhol in An Old Eng. Miscellany, ed. Morris, p. 153, l.
219. The peculiar spelling gaol is due to the O.F. gaole
(Burguy), and has been preserved in Law French. Chaucer has gailer,
C. T. 1476; whence jailer and jail.—O.F. gaiole, gaole,
mod. F. geôle, a gaol, prison, cage for birds. 'In the 13th cent.
people spoke of the geôle d’un oiseau as well as of the geôle
d’un prisonnier;'
Brachet. [But it must be remembered that the 13th cent. spelling was
not geôle, but gaiole.]—Low Lat. gabiola, a cage, in a charter of A.D.
1229, cited by Brachet. A dimin. of Low Lat. gabia, a cage;
Ducange. β. The Low Lat. gabia is a corruption of Lat.
cauea, a
cage, coop, lit. a hollow place, cavity.—Lat. cauus, hollow.
See Cage, Cave, and
Gabion. Der. gaol-er or jail-er.
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| Etymology
Dictionary Index |
| A, B,
C, D, E,
F, G, H,
I, J, K,
L, M, N,
O, P, Q,
R, S, T,
U, V, W,
X, Y, Z
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| Key |
| Arab.=Arabic. |
| A.S.=Anglo
Saxon. |
| Bavar.=Bavarian |
| Bohem.=Bohemian. |
| C.=Celtic,
used as a general term for Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Breton,
Cornish, &c. |
| Corn.=Cornish. |
| Dan.=Danish. |
| Du.=Dutch |
| E.=English. |
| E.E.=Early
English. |
| Europ.=European. |
| F.=French. |
| G.=German. |
| Gk.=Greek. |
| Goth.=Gothic. |
| Icel.=Icelandic. |
| Ital.=Italian. |
| L. or
Lat.=Latin. |
| Lith.
& Lithuan.=Lithuanian. |
| M.E.=Middle
English. |
| M.F.=Middle
French |
| M.H.G.=Middle
High German. |
| Norw.=Norwegian. |
| O.F.=Old
French. |
| O.H.G.=Old
High German. |
| Pers.=Persian. |
| Port.=Portuguese. |
| Scand.=Scandinavian,
used as a general term for Icelandic, Swedish, Danish,
&c. |
| Sc.=Scottish. |
| Skt.=Sanskrit. |
| Span.=Spanish. |
| Swed.=Sweish. |
| Teut.=Teutonic |
| Turk.=Turkish. |
| W.=Welsh. |
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