*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of gust

Apparently from an unrecorded Middle English *gust, from Old Norse gustr (“a gust, blast”), from Proto-Germanic *gustiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-. Cognate with Icelandic gustur (“gust of wind”). Related also to Ol

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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 strong, abrupt rush of wind. · Any rush or outburst (of water, emotion, etc.).

verb

To blow in gusts.

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

Apparently from an unrecorded Middle English *gust, from Old Norse gustr (“a gust, blast”), from Proto-Germanic *gustiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-. Cognate with Icelandic gustur (“gust of wind”). Related also to Old Norse gusa (“to gush forth”), Old High German gussa (“flood”), Middle English guschen (> English gush). The English word was not recorded before Shakespeare.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*ǵʰew-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*gustenm
  • Derivation mentiongustrnon · a gust, blast
  • Derivation mention*gustizgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*ǵʰew-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentiongusturis · gust of wind
  • Cognate mentiongusanon · to gush forth
  • Cognate mentiongussagoh · flood
  • Cognate mentionguschenenm
  • Cognate mentiongushen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ǵʰew-"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*gust"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *gust"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "gustr",
        "t": "a gust, blast"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse gustr (“a gust, blast”)"
    },
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        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*gustiz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *gustiz"
    },
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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ǵʰew-"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "gustur",
        "t": "gust of wind"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic gustur (“gust of wind”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "gusa",
        "t": "to gush forth"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse gusa (“to gush forth”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "gussa",
        "t": "flood"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German gussa (“flood”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "guschen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English guschen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gush"
      },
      "expansion": "English gush"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*gust",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/gust"
    ],
    [
      "gustr",
      "gustr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*gustiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gustiz"
    ],
    [
      "*ǵʰew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰew-"
    ],
    [
      "gustur",
      "gustur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "gusa",
      "gusa#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "gussa",
      "gussa#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "guschen",
      "guschen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "gush",
      "gush#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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        "A strong, abrupt rush of wind.",
        "Any rush or outburst (of water, emotion, etc.)."
      ],
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    },
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To blow in gusts."
      ],
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        "intransitive",
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The physiological faculty of taste. · Relish, enjoyment, appreciation. · Intellectual taste; fancy.

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

From Middle English gust, guste, from Latin gustus (“taste”) and Old French gust, goust.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiongustenm
  • Derivation mentiongustusla · taste
  • Derivation mentiongustfro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
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        "3": "gust"
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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "gustus",
        "t": "taste"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin gustus (“taste”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "gust"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French gust"
    }
  ],
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      "gust",
      "gust#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "guste#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "gustus#Latin"
    ],
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      "gust",
      "gust#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "goust",
      "goust#Old_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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        "The physiological faculty of taste.",
        "Relish, enjoyment, appreciation.",
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      ],
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        "archaic",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To taste. · To have a relish for.

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

From Middle English gusten (“to taste, have a taste for”), from the noun (see above) and Latin gustō.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiongustenenm · to taste, have a taste for
  • Derivation mentiongustōla
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "gusten",
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      },
      "expansion": "Middle English gusten (“to taste, have a taste for”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "gustō"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin gustō"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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    ]
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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 gust →

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-Z3VzdA