Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Good Friday” come from?

Good Friday (English) comes from English good, from Middle English good, from Old English gōd, from Proto-West Germanic gōd, from Proto-Germanic gudą, from Proto-Germanic gastiz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis, from Proto-Indo-European -tis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.

Ancestry of “Good Friday”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgoodActing in the interest of what is beneficial,...
2Middle Englishgoodgood; advantageous, wealthy, profitable, useful;...
3Old Englishgōda good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good,...
4Proto-West Germanicgōdgood
5Proto-Germanicgudąinvoked one; god, deity
6Proto-Germanicgastizstranger, guest
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰóstisstranger, host
8Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →