gut German · revision 35400

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German|origins=gem-pro *gōdaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɡuːt/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Colloquial: /ɡʊt/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Colloquial, regional: /juːt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''gut''' (strong nominative masculine singular guter, comparative besser, superlative am besten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|guot]], [[inh|goh|guot]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*gōd]], [[inh|gem-pro|*gōdaz|t=suitable, good]].^(Kluge 2011|381)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[got|𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃|tr=gōþs]], [[non|góðr]], [[ang|gōd]], [[osx|gōd]] and [[ofs|gōd]], and it survives in [[nl|goed]], [[en|good]] and [[sv|god]].^(Kluge 2011|381)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ Pfeifer, Duden and Kroonen connect it with the family of [[Gatte]]: it is an o-grade adjective from a lost strong verb [[gem-pro|*gadaną|t=to fit]], from the root [[ine-pro|*gʰedʰ-|t=to unite, fit together]], so that the first sense was “fitting, suitable”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|345)^(Kroonen 2013) Pfeifer compares [[goh|gigat|t=fitting]].^(Pfeifer 1993) Kluge thinks this connection possible but notes that in sense the closest match is [[grc|ἀγαθός|tr=agathós|t=good, brave, excellent]], which would correspond only in a form with /k/, attested as a gloss.^(Kluge 2011|381)^(DWB|9, 1225)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''guot'' is recorded from the 8th century.^(Kluge 2011|381)^(Pfeifer 1993) In Old High German it meant “good, righteous, just, excellent”, “kind, friendly”, “pious, holy”, “brave” and “strong, great”; it appears in the ''Hildebrandslied'', the ''Ludwigslied'', the Benedictine Rule and the Georgslied, among other texts.^(Schützeichel 2012|135)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Pfeifer traces a rich development from “fitting, suitable”: first “fit for a purpose, useful”, and of people “capable, skilled”; then a word of value, “valuable, of high quality” for things and “noble, respected, honest” for people; then “pleasant, advantageous”; and, already in the oldest period, “well-disposed, friendly, kind” and, in ethics, “righteous, virtuous”.^(Pfeifer 1993) With measures it came to mean “full, ample”, as in ''eine gute Stunde'' “a good hour”.^(Pfeifer 1993) Duden notes that the older stages already used it roughly as it is used today.^(Duden 7 2020|345)

+

+ The word originally had no adverb of its own; [[wohl]] served instead, and ''gut'' is now used as an adverb too.^(Paul 2002) The neuter used as a noun, [[Gut]], meant “what is good; property, possessions” from the 8th century, and in Middle High German also “landed estate”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|345) In compounds such as ''Saatgut'' “seed” and ''Diebesgut'' “stolen goods”, ''-gut'' has faded into a semi-suffix.^(Kluge 2011|381)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''guot'' is first recorded, as adjective and as noun.^(Kluge 2011|381)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 9th century – Old High German ''guotī'', the ancestor of [[Güte]], appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – [[gutmütig]] and [[begütigen]] appear.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Early 16th century – [[Gutachten]] is formed from ''für gut achten'' “consider good”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1800 – [[Guthaben]] appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Good, of satisfactory [[m|en|quality]], meeting the demands made on it: ''ein guter Wein'' “a good wine”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|effective|alt=Effective]], useful, suited to a purpose: ''gut gegen Fieber'' “good for fever”.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Pleasant, [[m|en|favourable]]: ''gutes Wetter'' “good weather”.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Morally good, [[m|en|kind]], well-meaning.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(school)'' The second-best mark, “good”.^(Wiktionary DE)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # With measures: a good, a little more than: ''eine gute Stunde'' “a good hour”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Kept for special occasions: ''der gute Anzug'' “the Sunday suit”.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|well|alt=Well]], competently, satisfactorily.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Easily: ''du hast gut reden'' “it's easy for you to talk”.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Interjection===

+ # [[m|en|okay|alt=Okay]], all right.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Gut]]

+ * [[Güte]]

+ * [[gütig]]

+ * [[gütlich]]

+ * [[vergüten]]

+ * [[begütigen]]

+ * [[begütert]]

+ * [[Gutachten]]

+ * [[Gutdünken]]

+ * [[Guthaben]]

+ * [[gutheißen]]

+ * [[gutmütig]]

+ * [[Gutmensch]]

+ * [[ungut]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Gatte]]

+ * [[Gatter]]

+ * [[Gitter]]

+ * [[en|good]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Its comparative and superlative, [[besser]] and [[beste]], have always come from a different stem, related to [[Buße]].^(Paul 2002) ''Guten Tag'', ''guten Abend'' and ''gute Nacht'' are old greetings, and ''mach's gut!'' means “take care!”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}