An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Gold

by Friedrich Kluge

Gold, neuter, ‘gold,’ from the equivalent Middle High German golt(d), Old High German gold, neuter; a common Teutonic word; compare Old Saxon gold, Dutch goud, Anglo-Saxon and English gold, Old Icelandic goll, gull (for golþ-), Gothic gulþ, neuter, ‘gold,’ from pre-Teutonic ghlto-, to which Old Slovenian zlato, Russian zoloto (from zolto) are primitively allied; the word Silber is also common to Teutonic and Slavonic. The primary sense of the root ghel, of which Gelt is a participle derivative, is ‘to be yellow’; akin to Sanscrit hiraṇya, ‘gold,’ from hári, ‘gold yellow’; hence probably Modern High German gelb and glühen, with their cognates, are also primitively allied. In any case, Greek χρῦσός has no connection with the Teutonic word.