Английский Этимологический словарь - give

- O.E. giefan (W. Saxon), class V strong verb (past tense geaf, pp. giefen), from P.Gmc. *gebanan; it became yiven in M.E., but changed to guttural "g" by infl. of O.N. gefa "to give," O.Dan. givж. Given (O.E. giefeрe) also had a n. sense of "fate," reflecting an important concept in pagan Gmc. ideology. To give (someone) a cold seems to reflect the old belief that one could be cured of disease by deliberately infecting others.