Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/139

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HG. gespęnste, n. (gespęnst, gespanst, f.), ‘enticement, allurement, infernal illusion, ghost,’ OHG. gispanst, f., ‘enticement’; the latter meaning is the original one, since Gespenst (see also ab-, widerspenstig), according to its form, is a verbal abstract of an OTeut. spanan, ‘to entice.’ Comp. OSax. and OHG. spanan, ‘to entice, charm,’ MidHG. spanen (comp. Gr. σπάω).

Gest, see Gischt.

Gestade, n., from the equiv. MidHG. gestat(d), n., ‘bank, shore.’ Comp. Staden,

gestalt, adj., ‘having form or shape,’ in wohlgestalt, ungestalt; comp. MidHG. ungestalt, OHG. ungistalt, ‘disfigured, ugly,’ MidHG. wolgestalt (wol ges'ęllet); a partic. of MidHG. stęllen, which may also mean ‘to shape, make, accomplish, set in order.’ To this is allied Gestalt, f., ‘external appearance, shape, figure, mien,’ MidHG. gestalt, f., ‘shape, appearance, nature,’ OHG. *gistalt. Considering the comparatively late appearance of the word (not until the end of the 13th cent.), Gestalt may have been derived from the old compound, OHG. ungistalt, MidHG. ungestalt, adj., ‘disfigured.’

gestatten, vb., ‘to allow, admit, grant,’ from MidHG. gestaten, wk. vb., ‘to grant, permit,’ OHG. gistatôn; probably connected most closely with OHG. stata, f., ‘favourable opportunity’ (for details see Statt). —

gestehen, vb., ‘to acknowledge, confess,’ from MidHG. gestên, gestân, OHG. gistân, str. vb., ‘to stand still, assist, own, confess’; derivatives, ModHG. geständig, Geständnis, See stehen.

gestern, adv., ‘yesterday,’ from the equiv. MidHG. gëstern (gëster), OHG. gëstaron (gëstre), adv.; also, with a divergent meaning, OHG. êgëstern, ‘the day after to-morrow’ (and ‘the day before yesterday’); corresponding to Goth. gistradagis, ‘to-morrow,’ OIc. ìgœr, ‘to-morrow, yesterday.’ It is evident that the primary word was used in the double sense of ‘to-morrow’ and ‘yesterday’ (lit. ‘on the second day from this’); comp. also AS. geostra, gistrandœg, E. yesterday, Du. gisteren, ‘yesterday.’ The form and the idea are Aryan; comp. Sans. hyás, ‘yesterday,’ Gr. χθές, Lat. heri (for hjiesi?); ghyés is the primit. form, whence with the suffix tro-, ghistro-, ghyestro- (Goth. gistra). For heute, ‘to-day,’ and morgen, ‘to-morrow’ (Lat. cras, Sans. çrás), an equally diffused form is wanting.

Gestirn, see Stern. —

Gestöber, see stöbern. —

Gesträuch, see Strauch. —

Gestrüpp, see struppig. —

Gestüppe, see Staub. —

Gestüt, see Stute.

gesund, adj., ‘sound, healthy, wholesome,’ from the equiv. MidHG. gesunt(d), OHG. gisunt(t); also MidHG. gesunt, OHG. gisunt, m, ‘health’; comp. AS. gesund and sund, E. sound, Du. gezond, OFris. sund. To East Teut. the word is unknown. Its connection with Lat. sânus, ‘healthy,’ is as feasible phonetically as its connection with geschwind, or with the Teut. root sinþ, ‘to go,’ in Gesinde.

Getreide, n., ‘grain, corn,’ from MidHG. getręgede, n., ‘everything that is carried, clothing, luggage; what the soil bears (flowers, grass), corn,’ even in late OHG. (11th cent.), gitręgidi, n., ‘revenue, possesion.’ The ModHG. sense is first found in 14th cent.

getreu, see treu. —

getrost, see frösten.

Gevatter, m.. ‘godfather, sponsor, gossip,’ from MidHG. gevatere, OHG. gifataro, ‘spiritual co-father, godfather’; an imitation of eccles. Lat. compater. From this was also formed OHG. gifatara, MidHG. gevatere, f., ‘godmother.’ Comp. also Vetter and Pate.

gewahr, adj., ‘aware,’ from MidHG. gewar, OHG. and OSax. giwar, ‘heedful, attentive, mindful’; hence gewahr werden is lit. ‘to grow careful, mindful’; thus even in MidHG. gewar wërden, OHG. giwar wërdan, OSax. giwar wërdan; comp. Du. gewaar, E. aware. Allied to MidHG. gewar, f., ‘oversight, headship,’ gewarsame, ‘oversight, certainty,’ ModHG. Gewahrsam, m., ‘surety, custody.’ —

gewahren, vb., ‘to be aware of, perceive, discover,’ from late MidHG. gewarn, ‘to become aware’; derived from the adj. See wahrnehmen, wahren.

gewähren, vb., ‘to be surety for, guarantee, attest,’ from MidHG. gewërn, OHG. giwërên, ‘to grant, confess, perform, pay, give security,’ also the equiv. MidHG. wern OHG. wërên; corresponding to OFris. wera, ‘to give security.’ From the OHG. partic. wërênto, ‘guarantor,’ were adopted the Romance cognates, Ital. guarento and Fr. garant, ‘bondsman’ (allied to Fr. garantir, Ital. guarentire, ‘to give security,’ whence ModHG. Garantie, E. warrant). The connecting link between the OTeut. wk. verbal stem werai-, ‘to confess,’ and non-Teut. words has not yet been found; perhaps Ir. feraim, ‘I give,’ is allied.