An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/genesen

by Friedrich Kluge

genesen, verb, ‘to get well, recover,’ from Middle High German genësen, Old High German ginësan, strong verb, ‘to be left alive, be healed, escape alive,’ also ‘to be delivered of a child’; corresponding to Gothic ganisan, ‘to recover health, be rescued, saved,’ Anglo-Saxon genësan, Old Saxon ginësan, ‘to be rescued, be left alive’; also Dutch genezen, ‘to heal, cure.’ The Teutonic root nes, with which nähren and its cognates are connected as factitives, corresponds to the Sanscrit root nas, ‘to approach in an affectionate manner, join,’ and especially to Greek νέομαι (root νεσ-), ‘to come back,’ and νόσ-τος, ‘return home.’ From Teutonic are derived Old Slovenian gonĭząti (goneznąti), ‘to be redeemed,’ and gonoziti, ‘to redeem,’ allied to gonoziteljĭ, ‘Saviour.’ See nähren.