Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
-gate en · NOUN · etymology 1
Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *wed-
Proto-Indo-European *-r̥
Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥
Proto-Germanic *watōr
Proto-West Germanic *watar
Old English wæter
Middle English water
English water
Proto-Germanic *gatą
Proto-West Germanic *gat
Old English ġeat
Middle English gate
English gate
Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis
Proto-Indo-European *pótis
Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis
Proto-Italic *hostipotis
Latin hospes
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
Proto-Indo-European *-is
Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Latin -ālis
Latin hospitālis
Old French ostel
Middle French hostel
French hôtelbor.
English hotel
English Watergate Hotel
English Watergatebf.
English -gate
Back-formation from Watergate, an American political scandal from 1972–1974 which led to resignation of president Richard Nixon. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the suffix first appeared in a 1973 article in the National Lampoon magazine which referenced a rumoured "Volgagate". The suffix was promoted by New York Times columnist William Safire, who coined several -gate words beginning in 1974.
Meanings
(informal) A scandal.
The George Washington Bridge lane closings started as a "-ghazi" and then became a "-gate." […] The Obama era is chock full of "-ghazis"—Solyndraghazi, ObamaPhoneghazi, NewBlackPanthersghazi, Umbrellaghazi, and of course Benghazi—but few "-gates" (Snowdengate and Websitegate, come to mind). 2014 January 15, Alex Seitz-Wald, “How to Name a Scandal: What is a '- Gate' and What Is a '-Ghazi'?”, in James Bennet, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2021:
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *wed-
Proto-Indo-European *-r̥
Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥
Proto-Germanic *watōr
Proto-West Germanic *watar
Old English wæter
Middle English water
English water
Proto-Germanic *gatą
Proto-West Germanic *gat
Old English ġeat
Middle English gate
English gate
Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis
Proto-Indo-European *pótis
Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis
Proto-Italic *hostipotis
Latin hospes
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
Proto-Indo-European *-is
Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Latin -ālis
Latin hospitālis
Old French ostel
Middle French hostel
French hôtelbor.
English hotel
English Watergate Hotel
English Watergatebf.
English -gate
Back-formation from Watergate, an American political scandal from 1972–1974 which led to resignation of president Richard Nixon. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the suffix first appeared in a 1973 article in the National Lampoon magazine which referenced a rumoured "Volgagate". The suffix was promoted by New York Times columnist William Safire, who coined several -gate words beginning in 1974.
Meanings
(morpheme) Combined with a relevant place, person, activity, etc. to form the names of scandals.
Back in college, [Maddi] Filliater said she tweeted at a local sandwich shop about some alleged brown lettuce, and the business responded angrily: Why didn't she bring up the problem in person instead of attacking them on the Internet? Her friends refer to the incident as "LettuceGate." 2022 March 30, Tatum Hunter, “How to leave a bad online review without being a jerk”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Mar 2022:
"-Ghazi" also shares convenient linguistic parallels with "-gate." They're both scandals that typify their category; they're both location names; they both start with the letter "g"; and they are both short enough to be used in headlines and attached to nouns identifying the scandal. 2014 January 15, Alex Seitz-Wald, “How to Name a Scandal: What is a '- Gate' and What Is a '-Ghazi'?”, in James Bennet, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2021:
ko 게이트 (component in names of scandals) · it -opoli (component in names of scandals) · cmn 門 /门 (component in names of scandals) · de -gate (component in names of scandals) · bn -কাণ্ড (component in names of scandals) · ru -гейт (component in names of scandals) · fr -gate (component in names of scandals) · pt -lão (component in names of scandals) · bg -гейт (component in names of scandals) · pl -gate (component in names of scandals)
From the plural of Old English ġeat (specifically gatu). The reduced pronunciation /-ɡət/ reflects the regular phonological development, as the unstressed suffix did not undergo Middle English open‐syllable lengthening (remaining /-ɡatə/). The full pronunciation /-ɡeɪt/ results from secondary stress or analogy with the independent noun gate.