Gut German · revision 36257

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɡuːt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Gut''' ''n'' (genitive ''Gutes'' or ''Guts'', plural ''Güter'')^(Wiktionary)

+ As the name of the school grade the plural is ''Guts''.^(Wiktionary)

+ The plural was the same as the singular until late Middle High German, when forms in ''-e'' and ''-er'' appear.^(DWB|9, 1353) The plural in ''-er'' was usual by the 15th century.^(DWB|9, 1353)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|guot]], [[inh|goh|guot|t=good; goodness; property]], the adjective [[gut]] used as a neuter noun.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|381)^(Duden 7 2020) The same use of the adjective is found in [[osx|gōd]], [[ang|gōd]] and [[non|gott]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(AWB|4, 498) The adjective itself, from [[gem-pro|*gōdaz|t=good]], is common Germanic: [[got|𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃|tr=gōþs]], [[m|non|góðr]], and in the modern languages [[nl|goed]] and [[en|good]].^(Kluge 2011|381)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ Kluge finds the closest match in sense in [[grc|ἀγαθός|tr=agathós|t=good, brave]], although the Greek form expected beside the Germanic one would begin with /k/ and is found only in a gloss; he also allows a link with [[Gatte]], which would give an original sense “fitting”.^(Kluge 2011|381) Pfeifer, Duden and Kroonen take that link as the explanation: the adjective has the o-grade of [[ine-pro|*gʰedʰ-|t=to join, fit together]], and Kroonen derives it from a lost strong verb [[gem-pro|*gadaną|t=to fit]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''guot'' as a noun is found in glosses from about 765 and in Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “the good, what is best; welfare, health, salvation; grace, kindness; property, possessions”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|135) Tatian asks ''fon Nazareth mag sih waz guotes wesan?'', “can anything good come out of Nazareth?”^(DWB|9, 1353)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The general sense “the good” was gradually replaced in New High German by the inflected ''das Gute'', and survives only in set phrases whose noun is no longer felt, such as ''zugute kommen'' “to benefit” and ''jemandem etwas zugute halten'' “to make allowances for something”.^(DWB|9, 1353)^(Paul 2002) The sense “possession” is Middle High German, with the pairs ''Hab und Gut'', ''Geld und Gut'' and ''Gut und Blut'';^(Paul 2002) ''das höchste Gut'' translates Latin ''summum bonum''.^(Paul 2002) In Middle High German ''guot'' also meant a landed estate, as in [[Rittergut]] and [[Gutsherr]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Since Middle High German the word has also named goods loaded for transport, hence ''Frachtgut'' and [[Güterzug]], and in technical use a processed material, as in [[Steingut]].^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) As the second element of compounds such as [[Saatgut]] and ''Diebesgut'' it has faded into a semi-suffix.^(Kluge 2011|381) Sailors call the ropes of a ship's rigging ''stehendes'' or ''laufendes Gut''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''guot'' appears as a noun in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – Tatian uses ''guotes'' “anything good”.^(DWB|9, 1353)

+ * Middle High German – ''guot'' also means “landed estate”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 15th century – The plural ''Güter'' is the usual form.^(DWB|9, 1353)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|possession]] of material or spiritual value; [[m|en|property]]: ''sein ganzes Hab und Gut'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) ''irdische Güter''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # A landed [[m|en|estate]] with its buildings: ''ein Gut in Mecklenburg erben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Goods for transport, [[m|en|freight]]: ''Güter mit der Bahn befördern''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(dated)'' Material to be processed.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(nautical)'' The ropes of a ship's [[m|en|rigging]]: ''stehendes Gut'', ''laufendes Gut''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(education)'' The school grade “good”, second best on the usual German scale.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Landgut]]

+ * [[Rittergut]]

+ * [[Gutshof]]

+ * [[Gutsherr]]

+ * [[Güterzug]]

+ * [[Saatgut]]

+ * [[Steingut]]

+ * [[begütert]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gut]]

+ * [[Güte]]

+ * [[Gatte]]

+ * [[en|good]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A proverb says ''unrecht Gut gedeihet nicht'', “ill-gotten goods never prosper”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Early New High German also had a noun ''gut'' “drop; stroke, epilepsy”, from [[la|gutta|t=drop]], which the Grimms list under ''gutt''.^(FWB)^(DWB|9, 1369)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}