Word journey
The word god
a deity; God
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| *ǵʰutóm | Proto-Indo-European (reconstructed) · Proto-Indo-European Religion | undated | "invoked" or "poured (as libation)"; reconstructed and uncertain |
| *gudą | Proto-Germanic (reconstructed) | undated | deity (neuter); reconstructed |
| guþ | Gothic · Christianity | 360 CE | God (Wulfila's Bible) |
| *god | Proto-West Germanic (reconstructed) | undated | deity; reconstructed |
| god | Old English · Christianity | 900 CE | a god; God (shifted from neuter to masculine with Christianity) |
What is certain and what is not
The origin of Germanic *gudą is unknown: "that which is invoked" (*gheuh-) and "that which is poured to, libated" (*gheu-) both have phonological problems, and Beekes argued for a non-Indo-European source. It is not related to good.