Where does “good” come from?
Good comes from Middle English good, from Old English god, from Proto-Germanic gōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰedʰ-, ultimately of uncertain origin.
good (English): Acting in the interest of what is beneficial,...
Definitions
- Acting in the interest of what is beneficial,...
Ancestry of “good”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | good | good; advantageous, wealthy, profitable, useful;... |
| 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 |
Words derived from “good”