*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of gnast

From Middle English gnast, knast, from Old English *gnāst (“spark”) (attested in fȳrgnāst (“spark of fire”)), from Proto-Germanic *gahnaistô (“spark”), from Proto-Germanic *ga- + Proto-Germanic *hnaistô (“spark”), perhap

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary 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 ↗
noun

A spark; a dying or dead spark, as of a snuffed candle.

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

From Middle English gnast, knast, from Old English *gnāst (“spark”) (attested in fȳrgnāst (“spark of fire”)), from Proto-Germanic *gahnaistô (“spark”), from Proto-Germanic *ga- + Proto-Germanic *hnaistô (“spark”), perhaps from the ultimate (imitative) source of German knistern (“to crackle”). Cognate with German dialectal Ganster (“spark”), Danish gnist (“spark, sparkle”), Swedish gnista (“spark”), Icelandic gneisti, neisti (“spark”), German Gneis (“spark, gneiss”) (whence English gneiss).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "gnast"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English gnast"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*gnāst",
        "t": "spark"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *gnāst (“spark”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*gahnaistô",
        "t": "spark"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *gahnaistô (“spark”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ga-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ga-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hnaistô",
        "t": "spark"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hnaistô (“spark”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "onomatopoeic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "imitative"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "knistern",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to crackle"
      },
      "expansion": "German knistern (“to crackle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "gnist",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spark, sparkle"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish gnist (“spark, sparkle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "gnista",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spark"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish gnista (“spark”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "gneisti"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic gneisti"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Gneis",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spark, gneiss"
      },
      "expansion": "German Gneis (“spark, gneiss”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gneiss"
      },
      "expansion": "English gneiss"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "gnast",
      "gnast#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "knast",
      "knast#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*gnāst",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/gnast"
    ],
    [
      "fȳrgnāst",
      "fyrgnast#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*gahnaistô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gahnaistô"
    ],
    [
      "*ga-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ga-"
    ],
    [
      "*hnaistô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hnaistô"
    ],
    [
      "knistern",
      "knistern#German"
    ],
    [
      "Ganster",
      "Ganster#German"
    ],
    [
      "gnist",
      "gnist#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "gnista",
      "gnista#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "gneisti",
      "gneisti#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "neisti",
      "neisti#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "Gneis",
      "Gneis#German"
    ],
    [
      "gneiss",
      "gneiss#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A spark; a dying or dead spark, as of a snuffed candle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "90e9deaf17121e818b02a7cc888484a7224c7cfeab931a8ce2b09bea041063d5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "320220ab4a4ae6056eb816cdc4900d6a5f7cf59b73e9033d15f79af99f0497c0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3926503
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To gnash.

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

From Middle English gnasten, gnaisten, from Old English *gnǣstan, from Proto-Germanic *gnaistijaną, causative of *gnīstijaną (“to grind”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰneydh-, *gʰneyd- (“to gnaw, scratch, rub”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian knasterje (“to gnash”), German Low German gnatschen (“to knead, gnash”), German knastern (“to gnash”), Icelandic gnesta (“to crack”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "gnasten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English gnasten"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*gnǣstan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *gnǣstan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*gnaistijaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *gnaistijaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gʰneydh-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gʰneydh-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "knasterje",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to gnash"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian knasterje (“to gnash”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "gnatschen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to knead, gnash"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German gnatschen (“to knead, gnash”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "knastern",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to gnash"
      },
      "expansion": "German knastern (“to gnash”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "gnesta",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to crack"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic gnesta (“to crack”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "gnasten",
      "gnasten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "gnaisten",
      "gnaisten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*gnǣstan",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/gnæstan"
    ],
    [
      "*gnaistijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gnaistijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*gnīstijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gnīstijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*gʰneydh-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʰneydh-"
    ],
    [
      "*gʰneyd-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʰneyd-"
    ],
    [
      "knasterje",
      "knasterje#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "gnatschen",
      "gnatschen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "knastern",
      "knastern#German"
    ],
    [
      "gnesta",
      "gnesta#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To gnash."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "ambitransitive",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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}

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 gnast →

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-Z25hc3Q