Etymology
1. c.1200, from O.N.
geta "to obtain, reach" (p.t.
gatum, pp.
getenn), from P.Gmc.
*getan (cf. O.E.
begietan "to beget," O.Swed.
gissa "to guess," lit. "to try to get"), from PIE base
*ghe(n)d- "seize" (cf. Gk.
khandanein "to hold, contain," Lith.
godetis "be eager," second element in L.
prehendere "to grasp, seize," Welsh
gannu "to hold, contain," O.C.S.
gadati "to guess, suppose"). Meaning "to seize mentally, grasp" is from 1892. O.E., as well as Du. and Fris., had the root only in compounds (cf. beget, forget). Vestiges of O.E. cognate
*gietan remain obliquely in pp.
gotten and original pt.
gat. The word and phrases built on it take up 29 columns in the OED 2nd edition. Slang
get over "recover, rebound" is from 1687.
Getaway "escape" is from 1852.
Get-up "equipment or costume" is from 1847.
Get-rich-quick (adj.) is from 1902.
Get wind of "become acquainted with" is from 1840, from earlier
to get wind "to get out, become known" (1722).
2. From Middle English geten, from Old Norse geta, from Proto-Germanic *getaną (“to find; to acquire, attain, get, hold, receive”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to find; to hold; to seize; to take”).
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with Yola get (“to get”), Danish gide (“to care, like”), Faroese gita (“to be able”), Icelandic geta (“to be able; to beget, father; to achieve, obtain, to guess; to mention”), Norwegian Nynorsk gjeta, gjete (“to guess; to mention”), Scanian gida (“to have the energy to, to feel up for”), gæda (“to guess”), Swedish gita, gitta (“to be able, to bring oneself to, to care”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌲𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bigitan, “to discover, find”); also Latin edera, hedera (“ivy”), praeda (“booty, pillage, plunder; prey; gain, profit”), prehendō, prēndō (“to grab, grasp, seize; to attain, reach”), Ancient Greek χανδάνω (khandánō, “to comprise, contain, hold”), Albanian gjej (“to find”). See: Middle English '
geten', Proto-Germanic '
*getaną', Danish '
gide', Faroese '
gita', Icelandic '
geta', Norwegian, nynorsk '
gjeta', Swedish '
gita', Albanian '
gjej'.
Verbs referencing "get"
Icelandic
geta, Faroese
gita, Latin
prehendo, Albanian
gjej, Latin
hendo, Thai
เก็ต, Finnish with old forms
getata.