An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Buße
Buße, f., ‘penance, atonement,’ from MidHG. buoęe, OHG. buoęa, f., ‘spiritual and legal atonement, compensation, relief’; OSax. bôta, ‘healing, relief’; AS. bôt, E. boot (‘use, gain, advantage’); also E. bote (‘wergeld’), firebote, fireboot (‘a free supply of fuel’), housebote (‘prison expenses,’ then ‘a free supply of wood for repairs and fuel’), Goth. bôta, ‘use.’ Under the cognate adjs. besser, best (comp. büßen in Lücken büßen, ‘to repair,’ OHG. buozzen; AS. bétan), will be found the necessary remarks on the evolution in meaning of the stem bat contained in these words. Comp. vergüten, ‘to make atonement, give compensation’ (Ersatz); Ersatz denotes a substitute of equal worth. Comp. also etwas gut machen, ‘to make good a loss,’ &c. See besser.