English word origin

Etymology of Gu

From Mandarin 古 (Gǔ).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A county of Linfen, Shanxi, China.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 古 (Gǔ).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention古cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "古",
        "tr": "Gǔ"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 古 (Gǔ)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "古",
      "古#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A county of Linfen, Shanxi, China."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "4f4f27f2d881cc9cee31a9e0add72c102c2d43c402699153285ad169170aa97f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e1455679af1b8fe8de8b631629390426cc303678c159921c24f3aeed0d0f76e6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6518627
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From either Mandarin 谷 (Gǔ) or 古 (Gǔ), from Chinese.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "谷",
        "tr": "Gǔ"
      },
      "expansion": "谷 (Gǔ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "古",
        "tr": "Gǔ"
      },
      "expansion": "古 (Gǔ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "谷",
      "谷#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "古",
      "古#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "58c85e55f68bba14813cec05162bb5380dd88074a0faef6560dbd9cda5f5b894",
      "rawRecordSha256": "69235e53e75b0ae4a3b74aaaf8b93eb9068ac2146a080d63b4a71f6a8c8e2a2b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6518628
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Gu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-R3U