Gaunt
/ɡɔːnt/noun
Unnaturally thin, bony, and hollow-looking.
Did you know?The word’s history is tangled with Old French forms like *gant* and *gaut*, and it likely developed through a sense of something lean, worn, or severe rather than any mystical meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wantaz
“lean, wanting, lacking”
Old French
OF
gant / gaut
“lean, thin, or worn”
Middle English
ME
gaunt
“lean, grim, or haggard”
16th Century
English
gaunt
“hollow-cheeked, emaciated, and bare-looking”
Modern English
English
gaunt
“unnaturally thin and bony”