Gott German · revision 35525

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɡɔt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Gott''' ''m'' (genitive Gottes or Gotts, plural Götter, feminine Göttin)^(Wiktionary)

+ Adelung records a dative ''Gotte'' when the word has an article or adjective (''dem ewigen Gotte''), though the ending was often left off.^(Adelung 1793|2, 756)

+ In older printing the name of God was sometimes set as ''GOtt''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|got]], [[inh|goh|got]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*god]], [[inh|gem-pro|*gudą|t=god]].^(Kluge 2011|368)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[got|𐌲𐌿𐌸|tr=guþ]], [[non|guð]] or [[m|non|goð]], [[ang|god]] (now [[en|god]]), [[osx|god]] and [[ofs|god]].^(Kluge 2011|368)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013)^(EWA|4, 534) The Germanic word was originally a neuter, covering male and female deities alike, and became masculine when it was applied to the Christian God.^(Kluge 2011|368)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|333) In Gothic it is usually abbreviated, after the Greek and Latin sacred names.^(EWA|4, 534)

+

+ Its further origin is uncertain.^(Duden 7 2020|333)^(Paul 2002)^(Kroonen 2013) Kluge takes it as an abstract noun with ⟨t⟩ from [[ine-pro|*ǵʰew-|t=to pour]], as in [[sa|जुहोति|tr=juhóti|t=sacrifices, pours butter into the fire]], [[ae|zaotar-|t=priest]] and [[grc|χέω|tr=khéō|t=I pour]]: first “libation, sacrifice”, then the god honoured by it.^(Kluge 2011|368) Pfeifer, the Grimms' dictionary and Köbler prefer a past participle [[ine-pro|*ǵʰutóm]] “the one invoked”, from a root meaning “to call, invoke”, found in [[m|sa|हूत|tr=hūtá|t=called, invoked]], [[cu|зъвати|tr=zŭvati|t=to call]] and [[lt|žavėti|alt=žavė́ti|t=to bewitch]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|8, 1017)^(Köbler AHD) Both explanations bring in the priestly title [[xtg|gutuater]] of the Gauls, read as “father of the libation” or “master of the invocation”.^(Kluge 2011|368)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Kroonen finds neither convincing: the link with the priest's title is possible only through the meaning “pour”, and a derivation from the root “to invoke” would be expected to give a long vowel.^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) He suggests a connection with [[cu|говѣти|tr=gověti|t=to revere]] instead.^(Kroonen 2013) Within Germanic the word is related to [[non|goði|t=priest]], [[got|𐌲𐌿𐌳𐌾𐌰|tr=gudja|t=priest]] and [[Götze]].^(Kroonen 2013)^(Kluge 2011|368)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''got'' is recorded from about 765 in glosses, and is very frequent in the Old High German texts (Köbler counts about 3,000 instances), meaning “God”.^(Köbler AHD)^(EWA|4, 534) Schützeichel also lists ''kebriefte gota'' “those raised to gods”, ''gote lob'' for “hallelujah” and ''were got'' “by God”.^(Schützeichel 2012|130)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Pfeifer notes that the Germanic plural meant the powers of fate, and that under Christian influence the word came to mean the Christian God throughout the Germanic languages.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|333) In Middle High German it was also used of Christ, and of idols.^(Lexer 1872|1, 1051)^(Köbler MHD) In Old Norse the forms were divided, ''goð'' being used mainly of the heathen gods and ''guð'' of the Christian God.^(EWA|4, 534) Joseph Justus Scaliger regarded the word as the mark of the Germanic languages as early as 1599.^(DWB|8, 1017)

+

+ The plural [[Götter]] is used of polytheistic gods, and the classical writers set them against Christianity, as in Goethe's ''Prometheus'' and Schiller's ''Die Götter Griechenlands''.^(Paul 2002) The word can also be applied to a revered person, and colloquially to someone very talented or beautiful.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE) Many derivatives are old: [[göttlich]] (8th century), [[Gottheit]] (about 1000, for Latin ''divinitas''), [[Göttin]] (about 1000, umlauted since the 14th century), [[Gottesfurcht]] (15th century, after Latin ''timor dei'') and [[vergöttern]] (17th century).^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|333)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''got'' in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 8th century – ''gotlīh'' “divine” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 9th century – the phrases ''gotes hūs'' “house of God” and ''zi gotes thionōste'' “for the service of God”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1000 – ''gotheit'' “divinity” and ''gutin'' “goddess”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 14th century – the umlauted ''göttin''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Late 15th century – ''Gottesfurcht'', a loan translation of Latin ''timor dei''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|333)

+ * 16th century – ''Gott sei Lob''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1599 – Scaliger calls the word the hallmark of the Germanic languages.^(DWB|8, 1017)

+ * 17th century – ''vergöttern'' and ''gottesfürchtig''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|god|alt=God]], the one supreme being of monotheism, especially Christianity: ''Gott hat die Welt erschaffen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A ''god'', one of several beings of polytheistic religions: ''die Götter Griechenlands''.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Someone admired as exceptionally talented or beautiful: ''Am Klavier ist er ein Gott.''^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Göttin]]

+ * [[göttlich]]

+ * [[Gottheit]]

+ * [[vergöttern]]

+ * [[Gottesdienst]]

+ * [[Gottesfurcht]]

+ * [[Gotteshaus]]

+ * [[gottlob]]

+ * [[gottlos]]

+ * [[Abgott]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Götze]]

+ * [[en|god]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Many proverbs and fixed phrases contain the word: ''Der Mensch denkt, Gott lenkt'' (which Brecht turned round in ''Mutter Courage''),^(Paul 2002) ''hilf dir selbst, so hilft dir Gott'', ''Gottes Mühlen mahlen langsam'' (wrongdoing is punished in the end) and the oath ''so wahr mir Gott helfe''.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Gottlob'' “thank God” was shortened from Middle High German ''gote lop'', from the Old High German formula ''gilobōt sī got''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|333)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}