gangan

See also: gängan

English

Etymology

From Yoruba gángan.

Noun

gangan (plural gangans)

1. (music) A talking drum of West Africa.

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ga‧ngan

Noun

gangan

1. (chiefly Southern Leyte) wild hops (Flemingia strobilifera)

French

Etymology

Imitative of its call.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɑ̃.ɡɑ̃/

Noun

gangan m (plural gangans)

1. (Antilles) mangrove cuckoo (Coccyzus minor)

   Synonym: coulicou manioc

Icelandic

Noun

gangan

1. definite nominative singular of ganga

Old English

Alternative forms

• gongan, gancgan

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *gangan. Cognate with Old Frisian ganga, Old Saxon gangan, Old Dutch *gangan, Old High German gangan, Old Norse ganga, Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽 (gaggan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑn.ɡɑn/, [ˈɡɑŋ.ɡɑn]

Verb

gangan

1. to go, walk
2. to turn out

Usage notes

The past tense forms of this word were only used in poetry. In prose the past tense of gān was used.

Conjugation

Conjugation of gangan (strong, class VII)

infinitive	gangan	gangenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	gange	ġēng, ġīeng
second person singular	gengst	ġēnge, ġīenge
third person singular	gengþ	ġēng, ġīeng
plural	gangaþ	ġēngon, ġīengon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	gange	ġēnge, ġīenge
plural	gangen	ġēngen, ġīengen
imperative
singular	gang
plural	gangaþ
participle	present	past
	gangende	(ġe)gangen

Derived terms

• ætgangan
• āgangan
• begangan
• bīgangan
• foregangan
• forgangan
• forþgangan
• fullgangan
• ġegangan
• ġeondgangan
• ingangan
• ofergangan
• ofgangan
• tōgangan
• þurhgangan
• undergangan
• wiþgangan
• ymbgangan

Descendants

• Middle English: gangen, gongen
  • English: gang
  • Scots: gang

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *gangan.

Verb

gangan

1. to go, walk

Conjugation

Conjugation of gangan (strong class 7)

infinitive	gangan
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	gangu, gango	giang
2nd person singular	gangis, gangist	giangi
3rd person singular	gangit	giang
1st person plural	gangem, gangemēs	giangum, giangumēs
2nd person plural	ganget	giangut
3rd person plural	gangant	giangun
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	gange	giangi
2nd person singular	gangēs, gangēst	giangīs, giangīst
3rd person singular	gange	giangi
1st person plural	gangēm, gangemēs	giangīm, giangīmēs
2nd person plural	gangēt	giangīt
3rd person plural	gangēn	giangīn
imperative	present
singular	gang
plural	ganget
participle	present	past
	ganganti	gigangan

Descendants

• Middle High German: gangen
  • Swabian: ganga
  • ⇒ Central Franconian: jeng, jejange; jank (suppletive past forms and imperative of john)
  • ⇒ German: ging, gegangen (suppletive past forms of gehen)

References

• Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch‎^[2] (in German), 6th edition
• Wright, Joseph (1906), An Old High German Primer‎^[3], second edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *gangan.

Verb

gangan

1. to go

Conjugation

Conjugation of gangan (strong class 7)

infinitive	gangan
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	gangu	gēng
2nd person singular	gengis	gēngi
3rd person singular	gengid	gēng
plural	gangad	gēngun
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	gange	gēngi
2nd person singular	ganges	gēngis
3rd person singular	gange	gēngi
plural	gangen	gēngin
imperative	present
singular	gang
plural	gangad
participle	present	past
	gangandi	gigangan, gangan

Descendants

• Middle Low German: gangen

Seychellois Creole

Etymology

From Kongo nganga (spiritual Priest).

Noun

gangan

1. magician

References

• D'Offay, Danielle; Lionnet, Guy (1982), Diksyonner kreol-franse [Creole-French Dictionary] (in French), Hamburg: Buske, →ISBN

Sranan Tongo

FWOTD – 18 January 2026

Etymology

Of West African origin; possibly a reduplication of Efik and Ibibio n̄kam (“my grandmother”). Compare Jamaican Creole gang-gang (“affectionate term for a grandmother or other older woman”), Skepi Creole Dutch gãgã (“grandmother”), Berbice Creole Dutch gaŋgaŋ (“grandmother”), Negerhollands ganggang (“grandmother”), Guianese Creole gangan (“elderly person; ancestor”), Antillean Creole gangan (“grandmother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡaŋaŋ/, /ˈɡaŋan/, [ˈɡa̠ŋã̠ŋ], [ˈɡɑ̟ŋɑ̟ŋ]

Noun

gangan

1. (informal) old woman, granny
   • c. 1950, Albert Helman, “Kot'singi [Tale-interrupting song]”, in Adyosi / Afscheid‎^[4], Stichting Instituut ter Bevordering van de Surinamistiek, published 1994, page 62:

     So yu na mi brada èn mi na yu mati. / A srefi mama gi un a srefsrefi ati; / un teki bobi fu a srefi gangan, / f' wan poti mofina-mama, – fu Sranan!

     So, you are my brother and I am your friend. / The same mother gave us the very same heart / we took the breast of the same old woman / of a poor wetnurse, – of Suriname!

   • 1991, Michaël Slory, “Li tsi-cheng [Li Zicheng]”, in Ik zal zingen om de zon te laten opkomen [I will sing to make the sun rise]‎^[5], Amsterdam: Uitgeverij In de Knipscheer, →ISBN, page 130:

     Den gangan sa feni rostu / nanga bro, teleki den dede.

     The old women will find rest / and relief, until they die.

   • 1991, Orlando Emanuels, “Boyo [Cassava cake]”, in Roy Mac Donald, editor, Mi na koniman Anansi. 20 Surinaamse kinderliedjes van het Srio kinderkoor [I'm the cunning Anansi. Twenty Surinamese children's songs of the Srio children's choir]‎^[6], [Paramaribo]: Pikin Fowru Productions, →ISBN, page 24:

     Wan krioro f'Bakrakondre / Ben kon luku en gangan / Da'a granmisi aks a boy f'en / Sort'stimofo a lostu f'nyan

     A Creole from the Netherlands / Came to see his granny / Then the old lady asked her boy / What kind of food he'd like to eat

Adjective

gangan

1. old-fashioned

Yoruba

Ìlù gángan

Etymology

Onomatopoeic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡã́.ɡã̄/

Noun

gángan

1. (music) A common type of talking drum and a subfamily of drums in the dùndún family of drums