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Good

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good¹

  • /ɡʊd/ Australia, US, New Zealand, UK
  • /ɡɵd/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ɡʉd/ Northern Ireland, Scotland

Rhymes with -ʊd

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English good, from Old English gōd, from Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz (“good”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to unite, be associated, suit, fit”).

Related to gather and together, but not to god/God.

Eclipsed non-native Middle English bon, bone, boon, boun (“good”) borrowed from Old French bon (“good”), from Latin bonus (“good”).

Cognates

Cognate with Scots gude, guid (“good”), Yola gayde, gooude, gude (“good”), North Frisian goud, gud, guid, gur, gödj, gööd (“good”), Saterland Frisian goud (“good”), West Frisian goed (“good”), Alemannic German guet (“good”), Bavarian guad (“good”), Central Franconian gut, jot, jott (“good”), Cimbrian guat, guut (“good”), Dutch goed (“good”), Dutch Low Saxon good (“good”), German gut (“good”), Limburgish good, gott (“good”), Low German god, goot, got, gued (“good”), Luxembourgish gutt (“good”), Mòcheno guat (“good”), Vilamovian güt (“good”), Yiddish גוט (gut, “good”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish god (“good”), Elfdalian guoð (“good”), Faroese and Icelandic góður (“good”), Gothic 𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃 (gōþs, “good”), Vandalic *guths (“good”); also Albanian nge (“chance, leisure, opportunity, time”), Latvian gods (“honor”), Lithuanian guõdas (“nobleness, virtue; glory, honour”), Belarusian го́дны (hódny, “worthy”), Bulgarian го́ден (góden, “fit, suitable”), Czech hodný (“good, kind”), Polish godny, godzien (“dignified, worthy”), Russian го́дный (gódnyj, “fit, well-suited, good for; (coll.) good”), Ukrainian гі́дний (hídnyj, “deserving, worthy”), го́дний (hódnyj, “fit, well-suited, good for; (coll.) good”).

adjective better · gooder · best · goodest · gooid · gud

  1. Acting in the interest of what is beneficial, ethical, or moral. good intentions
  2. Competent or talented. a good swimmer
  3. Able to be depended on for the discharge of obligations incurred; of unimpaired credit; used with for. Can you lend me fifty dollars? You know I'm good for it.
  4. Well-behaved (especially of children or animals). All my life I've been good / But now I'm thinking, "What the hell"
  5. US Satisfied or at ease; not requiring more. Would you like a glass of water? — I'm good.
  6. colloquial Accepting of, OK with My mother said she's good with me being alone with my date as long as she's met them first.
  7. archaic Of high rank or birth. Thou art a Traitor, and a Miſcreant; Too good to be ſo, and too bad to liue, Since the more faire and chriſtall is the skie, The vglier ſeeme the cloudes that in it flye:
  8. Useful for a particular purpose; functional. it’s a good watch;  the flashlight batteries are still good
  9. Effective. a good worker
  10. obsolete Real; actual; serious. in good sooth
  11. Having a particularly pleasant taste. The food was very good.
  12. Being satisfying; meeting dietary requirements. Eat a good dinner so you will be ready for the big game tomorrow.
  13. Of food or other perishable products, still fit for use; not yet expired, stale, rotten, etc. The bread is still good.
  14. Valid, of worth, capable of being honoured. This coupon is good for a free doughnut.
  15. True, valid, of explanatory strength. This theory still holds good even if much higher temperatures are assumed.
  16. Right, proper, as it should be. It is not good to be alone, / to walk here in this worthely wone, / In all this welthly wyn;
  17. Healthful. Exercise and a varied diet are good for you.
  18. Pleasant; enjoyable. We had a good time.
  19. Favorable. a good omen;  good weather
  20. Unblemished; honourable. a person's good name
  21. Beneficial; worthwhile. a good job
  22. Adequate; sufficient; not fallacious. [I]f thou ask me why, / Sufficeth my reaſons are both good and waighty.
  23. colloquial Very, extremely. See good and. The soup is good and hot.
  24. colloquial Ready. I'm good when you are.
  25. Holy (especially when capitalized) . Good Friday, Good Wednesday, the Good Book
  26. Reasonable in amount. all in good time
  27. Large in amount or size. a good while longer
  28. Full; entire; at least as much as. This hill will take a good hour and a half to climb.
  29. Special, best, favorite. No, not that one. That's my good shirt I only wear for special occasions.

Similar: all right, satisfactory, decent, acceptable, agreeable, amazing, as fine as Dick's hatband, awesome, beatific, bene, blissful, bodacious

interjection gooid · gud · goode

  1. That is good; an elliptical exclamation of satisfaction or commendation. Good! I can leave now.

good²

  • /ɡʊd/ Australia, US, New Zealand, UK
  • /ɡɵd/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ɡʉd/ Northern Ireland, Scotland

Rhymes with -ʊd

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English goode (“good, well”, adverb), from the adjective. Compare Dutch goed (“good, well”, adverb), German gut (“good, well”, adverb), Danish godt (“good, well”, adverb), Swedish gott (“good, well”, adverb), all from the adjective.

adverb better · best

  1. informal, proscribed, sometimes Well; satisfactorily or thoroughly. When you're cleaning these racks, you've got to get in there good, because the quality system specifies it.

good³

  • /ɡʊd/ Australia, US, New Zealand, UK
  • /ɡɵd/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ɡʉd/ Northern Ireland, Scotland

Rhymes with -ʊd

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English good, god, from Old English gōd (“a good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good, goodness, welfare; virtue, ability, doughtiness; goods, property, wealth”), from Proto-Germanic *gōdą (“goods, belongings”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ-, *gʰodʰ- (“to unite, be associated, suit”). Compare German Gut (“item of merchandise; estate; property”).

noun goods

  1. uncountable The forces or behaviours that are the enemy of evil. Usually consists of helping others and general benevolence. And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness cau
  2. countable A result that is positive in the view of the speaker.
  3. uncountable The abstract instantiation of goodness; that which possesses desirable qualities, promotes success, welfare, or happiness, is serviceable, fit, excellent, kind, benevolent, etc. The best is the enemy of the good.
  4. countable, plural normally An item of merchandise. Thy lands and goods / Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate / Unto the state of Venice.
  5. countable, plural normally An article of personal property (as opposed to real property).

good⁴

  • /ɡʊd/ Australia, US, New Zealand, UK
  • /ɡɵd/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ɡʉd/ Northern Ireland, Scotland

Rhymes with -ʊd

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English goden, godien, from Old English gōdian (“to improve, get better; make better; endow, enrich”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōdōn (“to make better, improve”), from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz (“good, favorable”).

verb goods · gooding · gooded

  1. dialectal, intransitive To thrive; fatten; prosper; improve.
  2. dialectal, transitive To make good; turn to good; improve.
  3. dialectal, intransitive To make improvements or repairs.
  4. dialectal, intransitive To benefit; gain.
  5. dialectal, transitive To do good to (someone); benefit; cause to improve or gain.
  6. dialectal, transitive To satisfy; indulge; gratify.
  7. dialectal, reflexive To flatter; congratulate oneself; anticipate.

good⁵

  • /ɡʊd/ Australia, US, New Zealand, UK
  • /ɡɵd/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ɡʉd/ Northern Ireland, Scotland

Rhymes with -ʊd

Where it comes from

From English dialectal, from Middle English *goden, of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish göda (“to fatten, fertilise, battle”), Danish gøde (“to fertilise, battle”), ultimately from the adjective. See above.

verb goods · gooding · gooded

  1. Scotland, dialectal, transitive To furnish with dung; manure; fatten with manure; fertilise. April 5 1628, Bishop Joseph Hall, The Blessings, Sins, and Judgments of God's Vineyard Nature was like itself , in it , in the world : God hath taken it in from the barren downs , and gooded it : his choice did not find , but make it thus

good⁶

  • /ɡʊd/ Australia, US, New Zealand, UK
  • /ɡɵd/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ɡʉd/ Northern Ireland, Scotland

Rhymes with -ʊd

Where it comes from

Coined in reference to the phrase the only good nigger is a dead nigger, a popular saying among white supremacists.

adjective

  1. Internet, dialectal, ethnic, not comparable, offensive, slur Of a black person, dead or killed. Another evil nigger made good. I love a good news story.

Similar: acceptable, agreeable, amazing, as fine as Dick's hatband, awesome, beatific, bene, blissful, bodacious, bona, brilliant, celestial

Good⁷

  • /ɡʊd/

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, from the adjective good.

* Also as an English surname, from the personal name Gōde, which represents the first part of names such as Godfrey, Gottfried, etc.

* As a German surname, Americanized from Gut, Guth.

* As a Dutch surname, Americanized from Goed, Goede.

proper noun Goode

  1. A surname. As The New York Times reported, bystander footage filmed from several different angles shows that the agent who shot Good wasn’t in the path of her S.U.V. when he fired on her.
  2. An unincorporated community in Hampshire County, West Virginia.

Good⁸

Where it comes from

Ellipsis of the form of the Good, a calque of Ancient Greek ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἰδέα (hē toû agathoû idéa), a concept used in Plato's Republic.

proper noun the Good

  1. Plato's metaprinciple of proper systemic function between principles; the fundamental Platonic form which enables knowledge and metacognition, from which other concepts such as truth, justice and virtue derive meaning.

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