give English · revision 1842

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725 (Beowulf)|origins=gem-pro *geban}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɡɪv/^(Roach et al. 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|given]], earlier [[m|enm|yiven]], [[m|enm|yeven]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[inh|ang|giefan|t=to give, bestow; grant; entrust]] (West Saxon), [[m|ang|gefan]], a strong verb (past tense [[m|ang|geaf]], past participle [[m|ang|giefen]]),^(Etymonline)^(COED 2004) from [[gem-pro|*geban]].^(Etymonline) Its cognates include [[nl|geven]], [[de|geben]] and [[got|𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽|tr=giban]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)^(SOED 2002) The hard g of modern ''give'' is due to Scandinavian forms such as [[non|gefa]], first seen in northern texts about 1200;^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) Merriam-Webster therefore treats the Middle English verb as of Scandinavian origin.^(MW Collegiate)^(MWU 2024) Etymonline and Watkins trace the root to [[ine-pro|*ghabh-|t=to give or receive]], also suggested by a comparison with [[la|habēre|t=to have, hold]],^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2000)^(MWU 2024) but Hoad and the Shorter Oxford find no certain Indo-European cognates.^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To give, bestow, deliver to another; to grant, entrust (Old English ''giefan'', about 725, in ''Beowulf'').^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The forms with initial ''y-'' gave way to ''g-'' in the course of Middle English, spreading from the north.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) ''Give up'', to surrender or quit, is from the mid-12th century, and ''give out'' meant “to publish, announce” in the mid-14th century and “to run out, break down” from the 1520s.^(Etymonline) To ''not give'' something trivial, at first ''a straw'', ''a grass'' or ''a mite'', dates from about 1300.^(Etymonline) The physical sense “to yield to pressure” is from the 1570s, and ''give in'', to yield, from the 1610s.^(Etymonline) Weekley explains ''give you joy'' as short for “God give you joy”, and derives ''give and take'' from horse racing, where weights depended on the size of the horses.^(Weekley 1921) The noun meaning “capacity to yield, springiness” dates from 1868;^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) Middle English had a different noun ''yeve'', a gift or tribute.^(Etymonline) ''What gives?'', “what is happening?”, is attested from 1940,^(Etymonline) and Green's Dictionary suggests it imitates the Yiddish greeting ''vi geht's?''.^(GDoS)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – Old English ''giefan'', in ''Beowulf''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * mid-12th century – ''give up''.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1200 – ''gifen'' with hard ''g'', in the ''Ormulum''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1300 – ''not give a straw''.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-14th century – ''give out'', to announce.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1570s – to yield to pressure.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1610s – ''give in''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1868 – noun, capacity to yield.^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1940 – ''what gives?''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To make a present of; to transfer freely to another.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To hand over; to put into someone's keeping or care: ''give me the scissors''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To pay in exchange: ''gave five dollars for the book''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To grant or [[bestow]]; to accord: ''gave him her confidence''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To impart or communicate: ''give advice''.^(COED 2004)^(RHWU)

+ # To cause someone to have or experience: ''gave me a fright''.^(COED 2004)

+ # To perform or deliver: ''give a speech''.^(COED 2004)^(RHWU)

+ # To provide as host: ''give a party''.^(HTOED)^(Chambers 2008)

+ # To yield as a product or result.^(COED 2004)^(Chambers 2008)

+ # ''(law)'' To transfer property by gift or will.^(Black's Law 2004)^(MWU 2024)

+ # To yield or collapse under pressure.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To open onto or lead into: ''the door gives onto the garden''.^(AHD)^(HTOED)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # Capacity to yield under pressure; [[elasticity]] or resilience.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[givable]]

+ * [[givee]]

+ * [[giver]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gift]]

+ * [[forgive]]

+ * [[habit]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Black's Law Dictionary notes that the formula ''give, devise, and bequeath'' has long been criticized as redundant, and that ''give'' alone normally suffices.^(Black's Law 2004) Random House distinguishes ''give'', the general word, from ''confer'', used of an honour or favour, ''grant'', limited to giving what has been asked for, and ''present'', a formal giving.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}