Etymograph

English

goodness

Goodness comes from Middle English goodnesse ‘a good or useful attribute or characteristic’, and goes back to 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*gōdnassī4reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150gōdnes4
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500goodnesse4‘a good or useful attribute or characteristic’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1599goodness4

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, English goodness
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “There is ſome ſoule of goodneſſe in things euill,…”.

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, English goodnessreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150gōdnesWiktionary, English goodness
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500goodnesseWiktionary, English goodness‘a good or useful attribute or characteristic’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1599goodnessWiktionary, English goodness. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “There is ſome ſoule of goodneſſe in things euill,…”

Linked words

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

together, gather, gad, bettering, 4 more

through Proto-Germanic *gōdaz ‘good’

better, best, goodly, 3 more

Today it means

noun The state or characteristic of being good.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “goodness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, Proto-West Germanic *gōd, Proto-West Germanic *gōdnassī. 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- / goodness

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