English words with 'y' that have a 'g' in Dutch and German
List of words in English with a Y that originally had a G
This is a collection of words in English that have a ⟨y⟩ that originally stems from a ⟨g⟩, which is still present in Dutch and German.
Note that while the listed words are from the same origin, they don't necessarily have the same meaning anymore (e.g. nl. dragen and de. tragen mean "to carry", or see footnote of en. worry for a particular interesting difference in meaning).
| en | nl | de | PGmc |
|---|---|---|---|
| bow | boog | Bogen | *bugô |
| day | dag | Tag | *dagaz |
| draw1 | dragen | tragen | *draganą |
| eye | oog | Auge | *augā |
| fey | veeg | feige | *faigijaz |
| fly | vliegen | fliegen | *fleuganą |
| fowl | vogel | Vogel | *fuglaz |
| gale | gagel | Gagel | *gagulaz |
| hail | hagel | Hagel | *haglaz |
| honey | honing | Honig | *hunangą |
| lay | leggen | legen | *lagjaną |
| lie | liggen | liegen | *ligjaną |
| lie2 | liegen | lügen | *leuganą |
| maiden | maagd3 | Magd | *magaþs |
| may | mogen | mögen | *maganą |
| nail | nagel | Nagel | *naglaz |
| own | eigen | eigen | *aiganą |
| play | plegen | pflegen | (PWGmc: *plehan) |
| rain | regen | Regen | *regną |
| roe | roge | Rogen | *hrugnaz |
| sail | zeil4 | Segel | *seglą |
| saw | zaag | Säge | *sagō |
| say | zeggen | sagen | *sagjaną |
| sorrow | zorg | Sorge | *surgō |
| swallow | zwelgen | schwelgen | *swelganą |
| tile | tegel | Ziegel | *tigulǭ |
| way | weg | Weg | *wegaz |
| wey | waag | Waage | *wēgō |
| worry5 | wurgen | würgen | *wurgijaną |
| yard6 | gaard | Garten | *gardaz |
| yare | gaar | gar | *garwaz |
| yarn | garen | Garn | *garną |
| yarrow | gerw | Garbe | *garwō |
| yawn | geeuwen | gähnen | *gainōną |
| yell | gillen | gellen | *gellaną |
| yellow | geel | gelb | *gelwaz |
| yesterday | gisteren | gestern | *gestra- |
| yield | gelden | gelten | *geldaną |
Words that still have a g in spelling that is not pronounced:
| en | nl | de | PGmc |
|---|---|---|---|
| dough | deeg | Teig | *daigaz |
| plough | ploeg | Pflug | *plōgaz |
| weigh | wegen | wiegen | *weganą |
Other way around and other particularities:
| en | nl | de | PGmc |
|---|---|---|---|
| egg | ei | Ei | *ajją |
| yeast | gist | Gischt | *jestuz |
| (yon) | ginds, (die)gene | jener | *jainaz |
| yonder | ginder | *jainar | |
| jicht | Gicht | *jihtiz |
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English drag has the same origin. ↩︎
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lie as in the act of telling a lie, while the "lie" before is for the meaning of "lying down" ↩︎
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Whence also nl. meid, meisje (girl) and de. Mädchen (girl), which also lost the /g/ ↩︎
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The ⟨ei⟩ in the Dutch word is unexpected, given that en. rain and hail are nl. regen and hagel. ↩︎
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To note that nl. wurgen and de. würgen mean to strangle. ↩︎
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En. garden has same ultimate origin but was borrowed from Frankish (via Latin gardinus). ↩︎