Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/136

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
Gen
( 114 )
Ger

fisher’). OIc. njóta, ‘to enjoy, derive joy from, have the use of,’ AS. neótan, ‘to take, use, enjoy,’ Du. genieten, OSax. niotan, ‘to enjoy.’ The primary meaning of the Teut. root nut, found in str. verbs, was ‘to get something for one's own use,’ then ‘to use or enjoy something, have the use of.’ See Nuß, Nießnutz. Akin to the primit. allied Lith. naudà, ‘use, produce,’ pa-nústu, -nūdau, -nūsti, ‘to long, yearn for.’ —

Genoſſe, m., ‘comrade, companion, mate,’ from the equiv. MidHG. genôȥ, OHG. ginôȥ, m.; corresponding to OSax. genôt, AS. geneát, Du. genoot; lit. ‘one who partakes of something with another,’ comp. Geselle and Gesinde. —

Genoſſame, f., from the equiv. MidHG. genôȥ-same, f., ‘fellowship,’ OHG. ginôȥ-samî, abstract of OHG. ginoȥsam, MidHG. genôȥ-sam, ‘of equal birth or worth.’

genug, adj., ‘enough, sufficient,’ from the corresponding MidHG. genuoc(g), OHG. ginuog; a common Teut. adj. with the ModHG. meaning; comp. Goth. ganôhs, AS. genôh, E. enough, Du. genoeg, OSax. ginôg; a deriv. of an OTeut. pret.-pres. Goth. ganah, OHG. ginah, ‘it suffices’; comp. Goth. ganaúha, ‘sufficiency,’ OHG. ginuht, MidHG. genuht, ‘sufficiency.’ On MidHG. genuhtsam, OHG. ginuhtsam, ‘abundant, sufficient,’ is based ModHG. genugsam. To the Teut. root nō̆h (Aryan nū̆k) preserved in these words some refer the Sans. root naç, ‘to attain,’ and Lat. nancisci.

Ger, m., ‘spear,’ formed from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. gêr, m.; corresponding to OSax. gêr, AS. gâr, OIc. geirr. The r in the latter word must be based upon an s, otherwise the Scand. form would be *gárr. Goth. *gaiza may be inferred too from old proper names, such as Hariogaisus. The terms γαῖσος, γαῖσον, are also mentioned by Polybius, Diodorus, &c., as applied to the spear by the North Europ. barbarians. The word is genuinely Teut. (yet comp. also OIr. gai, from *gaiso, ‘spear’), and has the approximate meaning, as the allied Geisel shows, of ‘shaft, rod (as a missile),’ for which reason Gr. χαῖος, ‘shepherd's staff,’ and Sans. hêšas, n., ‘missile,’ are perhaps cognate. The root is Sans. hi, ‘to urge on,’ with which AS. gâd and E. goad (from Aryan *ghai-tã) are also connected. The OTeut. term was first used again in ModHG. as a borrowed word, though it continued to exist in the proper names Gerbert (OHG. Gêr-braht, lit. ‘glit-

tering with spears’), Gerhard (OHG. Gérhart, ‘spear-bold’), Gertrud (OHG. Gêrtrût). Comp. Gehren and Geisel.

gerad (1.), adv., ‘even’ (of numbers), from the equiv. MidHG. gerat, OHG. girad, ‘even’; prop. ‘equal in reckoning’; akin to Goth. raþjô, ‘number,’ garaþjan, ‘to count.’

gerade (2.), adj., ‘going in one direction, straight, upright, from MidHG. gerat, ‘alert, quick, skilful, recently grown up, straight and therefore long’; the primary meaning is ‘nimble, rapid’; comp. OHG. rado (and rato, hrato), ‘quick,’ AS. rœðe (also hrœde), ‘quick,’ Goth. raþs, ‘easy.’ Perhaps primit. allied to Rad, Lat. rota.

Gerät, n., ‘tools, furniture, utensils, from MidHG. gerœte, OHG. girâti, n., ‘equipment,’ lit. ‘consultation, precaution’; collective of Rat.

geraum, geräumig, see Raum.

Geräuſch, n., ‘entrails of slaughtered animals,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. ingeriusche; origin obscure.

gerben, vb., ‘to tan, curry, polish,’ from MidHG. gęrwen (garwen), wk. vb., ‘to make ready, prepare. equip, dress, tan’; a deriv. of gar (see gar); OHG. gariwen (garawen), from *garwjan, ‘to make ready,’ lëdergarawo, ‘tanner.’

gerecht, adj., ‘righteous, just, fit,’ from MidHG. gerëht, ‘straight, right, dexterous, skilful, fit, upright, innocent, just,’ OHG. girëht (grëht), ‘rectus, directus’ (not yer ‘justus’); corresponding to garaihts, ‘upright’; in AS. rihtwîs (OHG. rëhtwis), ‘justus.’ E. righteous. See recht.

Gerfalke, Gierfalke, m., ‘gerfalcon,’ from the equiv. MidHG. gir-, gërfalke; from Rom. See Geier.

Gericht, n., ‘judgment, tribunal, court, jurisdiction,’ in its double sense even in MidHG. gerihte, n., ‘tribunal, sentence, jurisdiction,’ and ‘prepared food’; OHG. girihti, n., only in the first sense; akin to recht.

gering, adj., ‘petty, trifling,’ prop. ‘insignificant, easy,’ from MidHG. geringe, ‘light and quick, nimble,’ ringe, ‘easy, light, convenient, insignificant, slight, small,’ OHG. ringi, giringi, ‘light’; a specifically G. adj., wanting in the other Teut. dialects; origin obscure. The development of meaning from ‘light’ to ‘slight’ through the medium of ‘easy’ is similar to that of klein.

gern, adv., ‘gladly, willingly, fain,’ from the equiv. MidHG. gërne, OHG. gërno, adv.,