Well, I’ll be a bee’s
knee! The word “god” used to be a neuter word! In a zillion years you’ll never guess who made it for dude-deities only!
Christians.
[Oh. You did guess? As soon as I said “You’ll never guess
in a zillion years?...]
The
etymology of “god” (at least according to etymonline.com):
O.E. god "supreme being, deity; … from P.Gmc. *guthan (cf. O.S., O.Fris., Du. god, O.H.G. got, Ger. Gott, O.N. guð, Goth. guþ), from PIE *ghut- ‘that which is invoked’ …
"But some trace it to PIE *ghu-to- ‘poured,’ from root *gheu- ‘to pour, pour a libation’ (source of Gk. khein ‘to pour,’ also in the phrase khute gaia ‘poured earth,’ referring to a burial mound; ….
“Not related to good. Originally a neuter noun in Germanic, the gender shifted to masculine after the coming of Christianity….”_________
Thnx to Bearseye for the photo; go HERE to see more of his work.
