Where does “God” come from?
God comes from Middle English god, Old English god, and Proto-Germanic gōdaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰedʰ-, of unknown origin.
God (English): A being such as a monotheistic God: a single...
Definitions
- A being such as a monotheistic God: a single...
Ancestry of “God”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | god | A god or deity; a divine individual; A person... |
| 2 | Old English | gōd | a good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | gōd | good |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gudą | invoked one; god, deity |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gastiz | stranger, guest |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰóstis | stranger, host |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |