• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “Gaffer” come from and What does “Gammer” mean?

Where does the word “Gaffer” come from and What does “Gammer” mean?

February 14, 2020 by Karen Hill

The terms “Gaffer” and “Gammer” did not break into print before the latter end of the sixteenth century, but both must have been in common dialectal speech many long years earlier.

And, of course, dispute reigns as to what were the original words.

As now used, almost wholly only in rural England, they are usually terms of address, respectively, to an elderly man and an elderly woman.

The present consensus is that they have gradually evolved as contractions of godfather and godmother, but there is also a strong belief that the original forms were grandfather and grandmother.

Related Facts

  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • What Does the Term “Best Boy” Mean and What is the Difference Between the Gaffer and the Key Grip?
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • History of Alcohol
  • How do Credit Card Companies stop you from getting a credit card under a false name?
  • History of Dogs

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “Pantywaist” come from and What does Pantywaist mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “Sackbut” originate and What does Sackbut mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy