An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Gott

by Friedrich Kluge

Gott, m., ‘God,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. got, m., a term common to Teut., unknown to the rest of the Aryan group; comp. OSax., Du., AS. and E. god, OIc. guð, goð, Goth. guþ, ‘God.’ The form of the Goth. and Scand. words is neuter (comp. Abgott), but the gender is masculine. OIc. goð, n., is mostly used in the plur. Goth. guda- and guþa-, n., ‘God,’ are based upon Aryan ghu-to-m., in which -to- is the partic. suffix discussed under falt, laut, and traut. The Aryan root ghu- is Sans. hû, ‘to invoke the gods’ (partic. hū̆tá-). Gott in the orig. neuter form is the ‘invoked being’; in the Vedas the epithet puruhûta, ‘oft-invoked,’ is usually applied to Indra. The word Gott being specifically Teut., there is no term common to this group and one of the allied languages (yet comp. OIc. tíve, ‘deity,’ with Sans. dêva, Lat. deus?) Göttin, the fem. of Gott, is from the equiv. MidHG. gotinne, götinne, gutinne, OHG. gutin (Goth. *gudini, AS. gyden, Du. godin).