góðr

Forms

góðr^[1] Neuter gott, in early verse also gótt.^[2][3] Comparative betri, superlative beztr.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz (“suitable, good”),^[1][5] found in all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃 (gōþs), Old English gōd, Old Frisian gōd, Old Saxon gōd and Old High German guot.^[5][6] Kroonen explains it as an o-grade adjective made to a lost strong verb Proto-Germanic *gadaną (“to fit”);^[5] its relatives include Old English gegada (“companion”) and Old Saxon gaduling (“kinsman”).^[7][8] Outside Germanic it is compared with Lithuanian goda (“honour”) and Proto-Slavic *goditi (“to please, suit”),^[6] from a root Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to join, fit together”).^[1][8] The first meaning was then “fitting, suitable”.^[8][9]

De Vries does not start from an abstract “fitting” but from “what is proper within the community of the assembly”, following Trier.^[7] The comparison is suppletive: “betri” and “beztr” go back to Proto-Germanic *batizô and *batistaz, degrees of *bataz.^[1] The Proto-Norse “godaga” on the Valsfjord rock may be the genitive of a name containing the word.^[8][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Viking Age runestones use it of men, as on the Högby stone (Ög 81), which Rundata dates to the late 10th century: Góðr karl Gulli gat fimm sonu “the good man Gulli had five sons”.^[11] In Norway the Menota record begins with N 244 (980–1015), where Skarði raised a stone for his son Bjalfi, harða góðan mann “a very good man”.^[12][13] Peterson lists 192 Swedish inscriptions with the word.^[14]

Semantic evolution

On the runestones the word praises the dead, often in góðr drengr and góðr þegn.^[15][16] In the manuscripts its senses run from good living conditions, through kind and generous, upright and honest, capable and brave, to excellent in quality, respected, valuable, useful and plentiful; it is also used in address.^[17] The moral sense “good as against evil” is in ONP's earliest dated citation, from the Elucidarius of about 1175.^[17] Lexicon Poeticum notes that the neuter gótt rhymes on drótt- three times in skaldic verse, and gott only in a very late verse.^[3]

The adjective continues as Icelandic góður, Faroese góður, Swedish god and Danish god.^[8][18][9]

Timeline

• 980–1015 – harða góðan mann on the Norwegian runestone N 244.^[12]
• 1170–1198 – goþom in the Bergen rune stick B 380.^[19]
• 1175 – goþer oc iller “good and evil men” in the Elucidarius, ONP's earliest dated citation.^[17]
• 1200 – the Icelandic Homily Book, with the senses “pleasant, favourable” and “upright”.^[17]

Meanings

Adjective

1. good, pleasant, mild, favourable, of conditions and events.^[17]
2. kind, friendly, generous, hospitable.^[17][20]
3. upright, honest, righteous.^[17][20]
4. of friendship, close.^[17]
5. capable, skilled, brave.^[17][2]
6. of good quality, excellent, fine.^[17][20]
7. respected, of high rank.^[17]
8. in address, as góðr maðr.^[17][2]
9. valuable, precious; of money, valid, current.^[17]
10. useful, profitable, lucky.^[17]
11. well supplied, plentiful.^[17][20]

Word family

• góz
• gæða
• gœzka
• algóðr
• allgóðr
• jafngóðr
• ofgóðr

Descendants

• Icelandic góður^[1]
• Faroese góður^[1]
• Norwegian god^[1]
• Old Swedish gōþer^[1]
• Swedish god^[1]
• Old Danish goþær^[1]
• Danish god^[1]

Related words

• vel

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 Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 209
3. ^ a b c Finnur Jónsson (1931), Lexicon Poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, 2nd ed., Copenhagen: S. L. Møller, p. 197
4. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. N 309
5. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 184
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 138
7. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 181
8. ^ a b c d e Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. góður
9. ^ a b Falk, Hjalmar; Torp, Alf (1910–1911), Norwegisch-dänisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg, p. s.v. god
10. ^ Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. N KJ55
11. ^ Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. Ög 81
12. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. N 244
13. ^ Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. N 244
14. ^ Peterson, Lena (2006), Svenskt runordsregister, 3rd rev. ed., Runrön 2, Uppsala: Institutionen för nordiska språk
15. ^ Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. U 808
16. ^ Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. Sö 34
17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog / A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose, Copenhagen, onp.ku.dk (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. s.v. góðr
18. ^ Hellquist, Elof (1922), Svensk etymologisk ordbok, Lund, p. s.v. god
19. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. B 380
20. ^ a b c d Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. góðr