góðr

Old Norse

Etymology

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

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

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

Declension

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

Strong declension of góðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	góðr	góð	gott, gótt
accusative	góðan	góða	gott, gótt
dative	góðum	góðri	góðu
genitive	góðs	góðrar	góðs
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	góðir	góðar	góð
accusative	góða	góðar	góð
dative	góðum	góðum	góðum
genitive	góðra	góðra	góðra

Weak declension of góðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	góði	góða	góða
accusative	góða	góðu	góða
dative	góða	góðu	góða
genitive	góða	góðu	góða
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	góðu	góðu	góðu
accusative	góðu	góðu	góðu
dative	góðum	góðum	góðum
genitive	góðu	góðu	góðu

Declension of comparative of góðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	betri	betri	betra
accusative	betra	betri	betra
dative	betra	betri	betra
genitive	betra	betri	betra
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	betri	betri	betri
accusative	betri	betri	betri
dative	betrum	betrum	betrum
genitive	betri	betri	betri

Strong declension of superlative of góðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	beztr	bezt	bezt
accusative	beztan	bezta	bezt
dative	beztum	beztri	beztu
genitive	bezts	beztrar	bezts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	beztir	beztar	bezt
accusative	bezta	beztar	bezt
dative	beztum	beztum	beztum
genitive	beztra	beztra	beztra

Weak declension of superlative of góðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	bezti	bezta	bezta
accusative	bezta	beztu	bezta
dative	bezta	beztu	bezta
genitive	bezta	beztu	bezta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	beztu	beztu	beztu
accusative	beztu	beztu	beztu
dative	beztum	beztum	beztum
genitive	beztu	beztu	beztu

Descendants

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

See also

• vel (“well”)

Further reading

• Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “góðr”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press
• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “góðr”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 315; also available at the Internet Archive
• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “betri”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive
• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “beztr”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive