Guess
/ɡɛs/noun
To form an opinion or estimate without sufficient evidence to be certain.
Did you know?Unlike many common English words, “guess” has no securely established ultimate origin; it appears in Middle English and may connect to Dutch or Scandinavian forms meaning “to conjecture.”
Etymological Timeline
Uncertain Germanic prehistory
Proto-Germanic?
*giskōjaną?
“A proposed, uncertain ancestor connected with forming an opinion or conjecturing”
Medieval Period
Middle Dutch
gissen
“To guess or conjecture; a possible related form”
Medieval Period
Old Norse
giska
“To guess; another proposed cognate”
Late 14th Century
Middle English
gessen
“To form an opinion or judge without certainty”
16th Century
English
guess
“To estimate or suppose”
Modern English
English
guess
“To reach an answer or opinion without knowing all the facts”