Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “good” come from?

good (Middle English) comes 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.

good (Middle English): good; advantageous, wealthy, profitable, useful;...

Definitions

  1. good; advantageous, wealthy, profitable, useful;...

Ancestry of “good”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishgōda good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good,...
2Proto-West Germanicgōdgood
3Proto-Germanicgudąinvoked one; god, deity
4Proto-Germanicgastizstranger, guest
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰóstisstranger, host
6Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “good”

  • God
  • goods
  • gods
  • god
  • godly
  • godliness
  • goddamn
  • godlike
  • goodnight
  • gosh
  • goody
  • gad
  • golly
  • demigod
  • goddam
  • gadfly
  • godforsaken
  • gooder
  • goodish
  • goodie
  • Godward
  • goodhearted
  • goddammit
  • agood
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →