goed

Forms

goed (comparative beter, superlative best)^[1] Inflected goede, colloquially goeie;^[2][1] goe in some set phrases.^[2][1] The noun has the plural goederen, found from the 16th century.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch goet, inherited from Old Dutch guot, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *gōd, inherited from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz (“good”).^[3][1][4] The same word is Old Saxon gōd, Old High German guot (modern German gut), Old Frisian gōd (modern West Frisian goed), Old English gōd (modern English good), Old Norse góðr and Gothic 𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃 (gōþs), all meaning “good, fine, fitting”.^[3][5][4]

Its first sense was probably “fitting, proper”: the adjective is an ablaut form beside Proto-Germanic *gadōn- (“to fit, go together”) and the noun behind Middle Dutch gader (“together”), found in vergaderen; see gade.^[3][6] Kroonen calls it an o-grade adjective formed from a lost strong verb meaning “to fit”.^[4] De Vries preferred a sense “what is fitting within the community”, pointing to Old Saxon gigado (“one's equal”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (gadiliggs, “kinsman”).^[5] Outside Germanic the sources compare Russian годный (gódnyj, “fit, suitable”) and Lithuanian goda (“honour”), from a root given as Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to unite, suit”).^[5][7][1][8] Ancient Greek ἀγαθός (agathós, “good”) is not related.^[6]

The adjective has no regular comparison in the Germanic languages; beter and best serve instead.^[3] The noun is the adjective used as a noun.^[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century Old Dutch guot means “good; gentle, kind”, and in the Leiden Willeram of about 1100 guod is “good, precious”; the same text has the noun in al sin guod “all his property”.^[3][9] The first Middle Dutch record is gude, from Limburg in 1200.^[3][10]

Semantic evolution

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal still finds the old idea of “suiting, being fit for something” clearly in the adjective, whose many senses run from quality and correctness to kindness, health and skill.^[2][11] Early Modern Dutch had a plural goey around 1540.^[3] In zich te goed doen “to treat oneself” goed is the noun in the sense “benefit”.^[7]

The noun meant the moral good and, from Old Dutch on, property;^[3][10] Middle Dutch used it of goods and wares, as in mijn schip en goet “my ship and cargo” (1596), and the plural goederen appears in 1551.^[3][10] The proverb een goed begin is het halve werk is first written down in Dutch in the 17th century, in De Brune, after a line of Horace and a Greek saying.^[12] In Jewish Dutch goed was used in more situations and with more weight than in the standard language, and during the Second World War it could mean “on the side of the resistance”.^[13]

The adjective passed into Negerhollands (goed, goei), Skepi Dutch, Javindo and Ambonese Malay, and the noun into Sranan Tongo (gudu “goods”), Saramaccan (gúdu “wealth”) and, through Afrikaans, South African English (goeters).^[14][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch guot in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[3][9]
• c. 1100 – Al sin guod “all his property” in the Leiden Willeram.^[3][15]
• 1200 – Middle Dutch gude in Limburg.^[3][10]
• 1236 – The noun in met al den gode “with all the property” of a hospital.^[3]
• c. 1540 – The plural goey.^[3]
• 1551 – The plural noun goederen.^[3]
• 1596 – Mijn schip en goet “my ship and cargo”.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. good, of high quality: Dit is een goed mes.^[11][1]
2. Right, correct, as it should be: Dat antwoord is goed.^[11][1]
3. Favourable, advantageous: Hij heeft een goede baan gevonden.^[11]
4. Virtuous, honest: een goed mens.^[11][16]
5. Kind, friendly.^[11]
6. Healthy, normal: Hij voelt zich niet goed.^[11][16]
7. Skilled: Ze is goed in wiskunde.^[11]
8. Pleasant: Het ga je goed.^[11]
9. Considerable, at least as much as: een goed uur rijden.^[11][1]

Adverb

1. well: Je hebt goed gewerkt.^[1][16]
2. All right, fine, as agreement: Is goed!^[11][1]

Noun

1. The good, what is as it should be: goed en kwaad.^[11][2]
2. Goods, property, things owned: gestolen goed.^[11][15]
3. Cloth, textiles; clothes.^[11]
4. (Belgium) A country estate.^[11]

Word family

• goedheid
• goedaardig
• goedhartig
• goedkoop
• goedmaken
• goedkeuren
• goedertieren
• goedgelovig
• goedschiks
• goedzak
• goedendag
• goedemorgen
• goedenavond
• voorgoed
• tegoed
• erfgoed

Related words

• beter
• best
• gade
• vergaderen
• English good
• German gut

Usage notes

Iemand iets ten goede houden means to excuse something in someone;^[12] Middle Dutch te goede houden was “to excuse, not hold against”.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ a b Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
8. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 146
9. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
10. ^ a b c d Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ a b c Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ Kamp, Jacob van de; Wijk, Jacob van der (2006), Koosjer Nederlands: Joodse woorden in de Nederlandse taal, Amsterdam: Contact
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
16. ^ a b c WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org