Appeared c.1400, probably Scandinavian — unrelated to 'John of Gaunt,' whose name derives from Ghent, the city of his birth.
Lean and haggard, especially because of suffering, hunger, or age; bleak and desolate in appearance.
Of uncertain ultimate origin, first attested in Middle English around the 15th century as "gaunt" or "gawnt," meaning lean, haggard, or emaciated. The most plausible derivation connects it to Old Norse "gandr" (a thin stick, a wand, also used metaphorically for something slender), from Proto-Germanic *gandaz, possibly related to PIE *gʰen- (to strike, press together), suggesting the image of something beaten thin or compressed. Some scholars have proposed a connection to Norwegian dialectal "gand" (a thin, lanky person) and Swedish dialectal "gant" (thin, lean), which would reinforce the Scandinavian borrowing
Despite the name, 'John of Gaunt' — the powerful medieval duke and father of Henry IV — has nothing to do with the adjective 'gaunt.' His name comes from 'Ghent' (Gent in Flemish), the Belgian city where he was born. The coincidence has led to much confusion and some bad historical puns.