𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃

Forms

𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃 (gōþs), an adjective of the a-declension, genitive 𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌹𐍃 (godis).^[1][2] The nominative masculine is written goþs at 1 Timothy 4:6 in manuscripts A and B and 𐌲𐍉𐌳𐍃 (gods) elsewhere.^[1] The commonest forms in the Wulfila project's count are the neuter 𐌲𐍉𐌸 (goþ, 23 times), 𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌰 (goda, 20) and 𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌶𐌴 (godaize, 10).^[3] It is compared with other stems: comparative 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌶𐌰 (batiza), superlative 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰 (batista), and also the comparative 𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌹𐌶𐌰 (iusiza).^[4] The Wulfila project counts batista and iusiza under gōþs.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz (“good”),^[5][6] which Kroonen explains as an o-grade adjective from a lost strong verb "to fit", comparing *gadōjan-.^[6] Wiktionary and Köbler set up Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ-, a root meaning "to hold together, fit".^[5][7] Lehmann prefers a root *gʰadʰ- "unite, fit together", and gives "fitting" as the Proto-Germanic sense.^[5][7][8] Uhlenbeck places it under the same root as 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (gadiliggs, “cousin”).^[9] The Germanic cognates are Old Norse góðr, Old English gōd, Old Frisian gōd, Old Saxon gōd and Old High German guot.^[6] Orel and Lehmann relate Lithuanian guõdas (“honour”), Latvian gùods (“honour”) and Proto-Slavic *goditi (“to please, to fit”).^[10][8] An old comparison with Ancient Greek ἀγαθός (agathós, “good”) is doubted by Frisk and rejected by Lehmann.^[8] Orel treats the comparative under a separate Proto-Germanic comparative.^[11]

Attestation

Köbler counts 89 records; the Wulfila project counts 104 tokens, including the suppletive forms.^[7][3] The word is in all four Gospels and in the epistles, most often in 1 Timothy (29), in manuscripts CA, A, B and Car.^[3] In canonical order the first is goda at Matthew 5:16 in CA.^[3] PROIEL aligns it 56 times with Ancient Greek καλός (kalós), 24 times with ἀγαθός (agathós) and twice with χρηστός (khrēstós).^[12] At Matthew 5:16 people are to see "izwara goda waurstwa", "your good works".^[13]

Meanings

1. good, for ἀγαθός and καλός^[1][5][12]
2. of good quality, capable^[7][2]
3. kind, for χρηστός^[7]
4. beautiful, fine^[7][2]

Word family

• 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃 (gastigōþs, “hospitable”)
• 𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹 (gōdei, “virtue”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹 (gastigōdei, “hospitality”)

Related words

• 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (gadiliggs, “cousin”)

References

1. ^ a b c Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. goþs
2. ^ a b c Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 279
3. ^ a b c d e De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
4. ^ Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 73
5. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃
6. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 184
7. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gōþs
8. ^ a b c Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. goþs
9. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. s.v. gōþs
10. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 138
11. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 38
12. ^ a b Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
13. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Mt 5:16