Gait
/ɡeɪt/noun
A person's manner of walking or the way a horse moves.
Did you know?Gait is ultimately related to words for going and wandering across Germanic languages, showing how ordinary movement words can preserve ancient ideas of travel and passage.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gaitaz
“a going, course, or manner of movement”
Old Norse
ON
gata
“a way, path, or road”
Middle English
ME
gait
“a way of walking or moving”
Modern English
English
gait
“a person's manner of walking or the way an animal moves”