gan

verb

USGAN/ɡæn/

Formsgans, gannin, went, gone

2 meanings of gan

Practice

1
goverbdialectalNorthumbriaintransitive
To go, or to move from one place to another.
I want to gan home now.
They gan to the shops together every morning.
UsagePast: went. The -ing form is gannin.
Similargo (entry), head, walk, proceed
Note
2
beganverbarchaic
Past tense of gin, an old word meaning begin, so gan means began.
Note

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Origin

"Gan" meaning go probably comes from "gang," from Old English "gangan," to walk or go. "Gan" meaning began comes from "gin," an old short form of "begin."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

Gan meaning go probably comes from gang. en.wiktionary.org
Gang derives from Old English gangan, meaning to walk or go. en.wiktionary.org
Gan meaning began is the past tense of gin. en.wiktionary.org
Gin is an old shortened form of begin. en.wiktionary.org