𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍄𐍃

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *gaits. Cognate to Old English gāt and Old Norse geit, and Latin haedus (“kid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛːts/

Noun

𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍄𐍃 • (gaits) f

2. (hapax) goat (animal)
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Book of Nehemiah (Codex Ambrosianus D) 5.18:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐍅𐌰𐍃 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌵𐌿𐌼𐌰𐌽 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃 𐍈𐌹𐌶𐌿𐌷 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌿𐍂 ·𐌰· 𐌻𐌰𐌼𐌱𐌰 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌳𐌰 ·𐌵· 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍄𐍃 [·𐌰·] 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍅𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐍅𐌰𐍃 𐌼𐌹𐍃; 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌱𐌹 ·𐌹· 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌲𐌰𐍆 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌹 𐌸𐌹𐌶𐌰𐌹 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌹 𐌸𐌹𐌶𐌰𐌹 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹𐌽; 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌸𐍉 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍆 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌸𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍃 𐌼𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌹𐍃 𐌽𐌹 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌹𐌳𐌰, 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌹𐍃 𐌴𐌹 𐌽𐌹 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌿 𐌸𐍉 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹𐌽 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐌼 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍃𐍄𐍅𐌰𐌼.

     jah was fraquman dagis ƕizuh stiur ·a· lamba gawalida ·q· jah gaits [·a·] gamanwida was mis; jah bi ·i· dagans gaf wein allai þizai filusnai jah allai þizai managein; jah ana þō alla hlaif fauramaþleis meinis ni sōkida, in þis ei ni kauridēdjau þō managein in þaim waurstwam.

     And there came to me for one day one calf, and I had six choice sheep and a goat; and every ten days wine in abundance of all sorts: yet with these I required not the bread of extortion, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. (Brenton Septuagint Translation).

Declension

Only the nominative singular is attested. Based on the declensions in other Germanic languages, this noun is probably a consonant stem in Gothic as well. But the possibility of an i-stem cannot be entirely ruled out.

Coordinate terms

• 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍃𐌰 (auhsa, “ox”)
• 𐌻𐌰𐌼𐌱 (lamb, “sheep, lamb”)
• 𐌿𐌻𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐍃 (ulbandus, “camel”)
• 𐍃𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽 (swein, “pig”)

Derived terms

• 𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌽 (gaitein, “kid”)

References

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “G.27 gaits”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 140

Further reading

• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 134