god
A superhuman being worshipped as having power over nature and human fortunes; a deity.
Etymology
From Old English god, from Proto-Germanic *gudą. The PIE etymology is disputed. The most common proposals are: (1) from *ǵʰew- "to call, invoke" — a god being "the one invoked"; (2) from *ǵʰew- "to pour" (a libation) — "the one to whom libations are poured"; (3) from *gʰew- "to pour" in the sense of casting metal. None of these is established with certainty.
The Journey: (disputed) → god
*ǵʰew-t-
*gudą
god
god
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root (disputed). They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | (none cognate; theós unrelated) |
| Latin | (none cognate; deus from *dyew-) |
| Gothic | guþ |
| Persian | Khoda (disputed) |
| Sanskrit | hutá- (invoked) |
| Old Norse | goð/guð |
| Old High German | got |
Did You Know?
English "god" is not related to Latin deus or Greek theós — those come from PIE *dyew- "sky, shine" (same root as "Zeus" and "Jupiter"). The Germanic word has a completely separate and still-debated origin.