Where does “best” come from?

best (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Old Norse beztr, from Proto-Germanic batistaz, from Proto-Germanic gōdaz, from Proto-Germanic gadaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰedʰ- — to join; to unite; to suit.

best (Norwegian Nynorsk): indefinite singular superlative degree of god:...

Definitions

  1. indefinite singular superlative degree of god:...

Ancestry of “best”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsebeztr—
2Proto-Germanicbatistazsuperlative degree of *gōdaz; superlative degree...
3Proto-Germanicgōdazgood
4Proto-Germanicgadaną—
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰedʰ-to join; to unite; to suit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰedʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gadaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic gōdaz →