From Middle High German gīge, from Old High German gīga, of unclear origin. Possibly from a Proto-Germanic *gīganą (“to move, wish, desire”) (based on the movement of a violinist's arms), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeyǵʰ-, *ǵʰeygʰ-, an extension of *ǵʰeh₂- (“to yawn, gape, long for, desire”), though this is semantically dubious. Alternatively an independent onomatopoeic formation. Cognate with Middle English gyge (“to make a creaking sound”), Old French giguer (“to play the fiddle”), English gig, English jig.