góðr

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Old Norse

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Etymology

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From Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, whence also Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Old English gōd, Old High German and Old Dutch guot, Gothic 𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃 (gōþs). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ-. The comparative and superlative forms are from Proto-Germanic *batizô and *batistaz respectively, both degrees of Proto-Germanic *bataz, being ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed- (good).

Adjective

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góðr (comparative betri, superlative beztr)

  1. good, righteous, morally commendable
  2. good, honest, true
    góðir vinir — good friends
  3. kind, friendly
    góð orð — good, kind words
  4. good, gifted
    gott skáld — a good poet
  5. goodly, fine

Usage notes

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  • That the neuter form in early times was gótt and not later gott is seen from rhymes (hendings) with words like dróttinn (lord).

Declension

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This word has a suppletive inflection, using another root in the comparative and superlative forms, than in the positive form.

Descendants

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  • Icelandic: góður
  • Faroese: góður
  • Norwegian: god
  • Elfdalian: guoð
  • Old Swedish: gōþer
    • Swedish: god, goder (dialectal, in set phrases)
  • Old Danish: gōth, (Old Scanian) gōþær
  • Old Gutnish: gōþr

See also

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  • vel (well)

References

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  • Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon — An Icelandic-English Dictionary (1874)
  • góðr in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.
  • betri”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • beztr”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press