Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/129

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the latter is based upon a root i (Lat. ire, Gr. ἰέναι).

Gast, m., ‘guest, visitor; wight; sailor,’ from MidHG. and OHG. gast (plur. gęste, gęsti), m., ‘stranger, guest’; common, in the same sense, to Teut.; comp. Goth. gasts (plur. gasteis), m. (comp. gastigôds, ‘hospitable’), OIc. gestr, ‘guest (uninvited),’ AS. gyst, giest, m., E. guest, Du. and OSax. gast. Teut. gastiz, m., ‘stranger, unbidden or chance guest from some foreign part,’ from pre-Teut. ghostis, which left derivatives in Lat. and Slav.; Lat. hostis, ‘enemy,’ prop. ‘foreigner, stranger,’ OSlov. qostĭ, m., ‘guest'; with Lat. hostis, ‘foreigner,’ hospes (prop. *hosti-potis, ‘host’?), might also be connected. It is more than questionable whether West Aryan ghosti-s, ‘stranger,’ is prop. ‘eater, devourer,’ and belongs to the Sans. root ghas, ‘to eat.’ It is worthy of notice in how many ways Teutons and Romans have transformed the idea underlying the old inherited word for ‘stranger'; the Roman regards him as an enemy, among the Teutons he enjoys the greatest privileges — a fine confirmation of Tacitus' account in the Germania. This evolution of meaning would be still more remarkable if the view were correct that Lat. hostis, ‘stranger,’ is related to Lat. hostia, ‘victim’ (stranger = ‘one to be sacrificed’?); this collocation is alluring, but very uncertain.

gäten, jäten, vb., ‘to weed,’ from the equiv. MidHG. jëten, gëten, OHG. jëtan, gëtan; akin to OHG. jetto, m., ‘weed, darnel.’ Perhaps Gr. ζητέω, ‘I seek,’ is allied, if the Aryan root is yē̆t.

gätlich, adj., ‘suitable, convenient,’ an essentially MidG. and LG. word; derived from a parallel Goth. form *gada-, to which OHG. gi-gát, adj., ‘suitable, agreeing with,’ also points; comp. Gatte, gut; so too OSlov. godŭ, ‘favourable time,’ Lith. gadas, ‘stipulation,’ and Du. gadelijk, ‘reconcilable.’

Gatte, m., ‘spouse, consort, husband,’ from MidHG. gate (also gegate), m., ‘equal associate, one's equals, husband'; comp. Du. gade, ‘husband.’ The last meaning is rare in the MidHG. period, and first prevailed over the others in the last century; it is a specialisation of the idea ‘belonging to one another'; comp. OSax. gigado, ‘one's equals,’ AS. gegada, ‘companion’; also Goth. gadiliggs, ‘relative,’ AS. gœdeling, ‘member of the same tribe,’ OHG. gatuling, ‘cousin,’ OSax. gaduling,

‘countryman, member of the same tribe.’ ModHG. gatten (sich gatten), vb., is from MidHG. gaten, ‘to come together, agree'; MidHG. (essentially MidG.) gater, ‘together,’ Du. te gader, AS. geador and tôgœdere. E. together; AS. gadrian, E. to gather (Du. vergaderen, ‘to assemble’); OHG. gęti-lôs, MidHG. gęte-lôs, adj., ‘wanton, dissolute,’ lit. ‘free from the restraining bond.’ The ideas of ‘belonging to one another' and of ‘suiting’ are seen in all the cognates of gut.

Gatter, n., ‘railing, lattice, rudder,’ from MidHG. gater, m., n., ‘railing, lattice’ (as a gate or fence), OHG. gataro, m., ‘railing.’ If the latter represents Teut. ga-doro, the word would be a compound of ga (see ge) and Thor (Goth. datir). On the other hand, it is possibly allied to AS. geat, E. gate.

Gau, m., from the equiv. MidHG. göu, gou, n., OHG. gęwi, gouwi, n., ‘district.’ According to Goth. gawi (gaujis), n., ‘scenery, country,’ we might have expected OHG. gęwi (gouwes), MidHG. göu (gouwes), since j after au becomes w without producing modification (comp. Frau). Even now Gäu, neu., is found in Bav., Suab., and Swiss, but in the sense of ‘country’ opposed to town. The word is unknown to Scand., and also to Sax. and E., in which Gau, as the second part of a compound name applied to a district, is met with only in the very earliest period; comp. e.g. AS. œ́lge, ‘district of eels,’ OLG. Pathergô, ‘Pader district’ (around Paderborn). The ModHG. word first obtained currency again in the last century as a result of the study of OGer. (see Hort). No tenable root has yet been found.

Gauch, m., ‘simpleton, gawk, crow, owl, cuckoo’ (as stupid birds), from MidHG. gouch, m., ‘dolt, fool, simpleton,’ prop. ‘cuckoo,’ OHG. gouh, ‘cuckoo'; corresponding to AS. geác, OIc. gaukr (whence Scotch gowk), ‘cuckoo.’ Is k a suffix as in AS. hafoc, ‘hawk,’ and Goth. ahaks, ‘pigeon’? OHG. gouh, Goth. *gauks, cannot, however, be allied to Lat. cuculus, Sans. kôkila-s, ‘cuckoo,’ since Teut. g initially cannot represent Lat. and Sans. k. Further Gauch is the OTeut. word for the later term Kuckuck.

Gaudieb, m., formed from the equiv. LG. gaudeef, Du. gaauwdicf, prop. ‘sharp, cunning thief’ (from gaauw, ‘quick, cunning,’ see jähe), then generally ‘sharper.’