2168: *Ghos-ti-: guest and host Nov 21, 2020

There is a theorized root *ghos-ti-which is the origin of 'stranger; guest', (but not 'ghost') and illustrates a pattern of relation between being a guest and being a host. Indeed, 'guest', 'host' and even 'xeno-' (as in 'xenophobia') all come from the same root. This Proto-Indo-European root, like with the relation between words mean 'give' and 'take', leads to words meaning both 'host' and 'guest' and it is estimated that the original root of the word would have referred to someone with whom one has reciprocal roles in hospitality. In the case of the Greek 'xeno-', this was extended beyond 'guest' to 'stranger' and then now 'foreigner'.