Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/gaist

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *gaistaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéysd-os, from *ǵʰeysd- (“anger, agitation”). Cognate with Sanskrit हेड (héḍa).

Noun

*gaist m

1. ghost, spirit

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*gaist
Genitive	*gaistas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*gaist	*gaistō, *gaistōs
Accusative	*gaist	*gaistā
Genitive	*gaistas	*gaistō
Dative	*gaistē	*gaistum
Instrumental	*gaistu	*gaistum

Descendants

• Old English: gāst, gǣst, gaast
  • Middle English: gost, gast, gaast, goost, goste
    • English: ghost
    • Scots: gaist, gast, ghaist
    • Yola: gaast
• Old Frisian: gāst, gēst
  • Saterland Frisian: Gäist, Jeest
  • West Frisian: geast
• Old Saxon: gēst, *gast
  • Middle Low German: gêst, geist
    • German Low German: Geest, Geist
    • Low German: geest
    • Plautdietsch: Jeist
    • → Norwegian Bokmål: gast
    • → Old Danish: gast (or from Frisian)
      • Danish: gast
    • → Swedish: gast
• Old Dutch: geist, *gēst, gast
  • Middle Dutch: gêest
    • Dutch: geest
      • Afrikaans: gees
      • Negerhollands: geest
• Old High German: geist, gheist, keist
  • Middle High German: geist
    • German: Geist
      • → English: geist
      • → Danish: gejst
      • → Swedish: geist
      • → Norwegian Bokmål: geist
    • Hunsrik: Geest, Geist
    • Luxembourgish: Geescht
    • Yiddish: גײַסט (gayst)