*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of geese

From Middle English gees, ges, from Old English gēs, from Proto-West Germanic *gansi, from Proto-Germanic *gansiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂énses, nominative plural of *ǵʰh₂éns (“goose”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

plural of goose

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

From Middle English gees, ges, from Old English gēs, from Proto-West Germanic *gansi, from Proto-Germanic *gansiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂énses, nominative plural of *ǵʰh₂éns (“goose”).

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": "gees"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English gees"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "gēs"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English gēs"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*gansi"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *gansi"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*gansiz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *gansiz"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ǵʰh₂énses"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂énses"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "gees",
      "gees#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ges",
      "ges#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "gēs",
      "ges#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*gansi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/gansi"
    ],
    [
      "*gansiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gansiz"
    ],
    [
      "*ǵʰh₂énses",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰh₂énses"
    ],
    [
      "*ǵʰh₂éns",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰh₂éns"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "plural of goose"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "plural"
      ],
      "recordId": "98e9f4d6b2cbdea357d6535886f6c7b2e15e9877161e606fdbc624b864ed4b56",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e70db4aa4b0f534d7ca2377bf2d6bb108743f971cebd7b9170d4db36a9e21c94",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 185697
    }
  ],
  "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 geese →

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-Z2Vlc2U