Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gods” come from?

Gods comes from English God, derived from Middle English God, from Proto-Germanic gōdaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰedʰ-, a root of uncertain original meaning.

gods (English): plural of god; The highest platform, or upper...

Definitions

  1. plural of god; The highest platform, or upper...

Ancestry of “gods”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgodA deity or supreme being; a supernatural,...
2EnglishGodA being such as a monotheistic God: a single...
3Middle EnglishgodA god or deity; a divine individual; A person...
4Old Englishgōda good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good,...
5Proto-West Germanicgōdgood
6Proto-Germanicgudąinvoked one; god, deity
7Proto-Germanicgastizstranger, guest
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʰóstisstranger, host
9Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →