Etymograph

English

godness

Godness comes from Middle English goodnesse ‘a good or useful attribute or characteristic’, from Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī ‘goodness’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- ‘to unite, be associated, suit’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰedʰ-1‘to unite, be associated, suit’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gōdaz2‘good’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gōd3‘good’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gōdnassī4‘goodness’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150gōdnes4‘the quality or condition of being good’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500goodnesse5as godnesse‘a good or useful attribute or characteristic’
  7. Englishtodaygodness5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *gōdaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *gōd
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Middle English goodnesse
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English godness

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰedʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *gōdaz‘to unite, be associated, suit’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gōdazWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *gōd‘good’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gōdWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī‘good’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gōdnassīWiktionary, Middle English goodnesse‘goodness’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150gōdnesWiktionary, Middle English goodnesse‘the quality or condition of being good’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500goodnesseWiktionary, English godnessas godnesse‘a good or useful attribute or characteristic’
  7. EnglishtodaygodnessWiktionary, English godness

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- ‘to unite, be associated, suit’

together, gather, gad, bettering, 2 more

through Proto-Germanic *gōdaz ‘good’

better, best, goodly, 1 more

through Proto-West Germanic *gōd ‘good’

good

through Middle English goodnesse ‘a good or useful attribute or characteristic’

goodness

Today it means

noun The state, quality, or condition of a god; divinity

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “godness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, Proto-West Germanic *gōd, Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī, Middle English goodnesse. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- / godness

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