Etymology

gad

G2A1D2

Today it means: An exclamation roughly equivalent to by God, goodness gracious, for goodness' sake. Full definition →

Middle English gadden
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gad · interjection1

Euphemistic alteration of God.

gad · verb, noun2

  1. Middle English · inherited fromgadden“to hurry, to rush about”
  2. English todaygad

From Middle English gadden (“to hurry, to rush about”), of obscure origin.

gad · noun3

  1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*gaduling“kinsman”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*gadô
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*gadō
  4. Old English · inherited from*gada“fellow, companion, comrade, associate”
  5. Middle English · inherited fromgade“a fool, simpleton, rascal, scoundrel; bastard”
  6. English todaygad

From Middle English gade (“a fool, simpleton, rascal, scoundrel; bastard”), from Old English *gada (“fellow, companion, comrade, associate”), from Proto-West Germanic *gadō, from Proto-Germanic *gadô, *gagadô (“companion, associate”), related to Proto-West Germanic *gaduling (“kinsman”). Cognate with Dutch gade (“spouse”), German Gatte (“male spouse, husband”). See also gadling.

gad · noun4

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*gazdaz“spike, rod, stake”
  2. Old Norse · derived fromgaddr“goad, spike”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromgad
  4. English todaygad

From Middle English gad, gadde, borrowed from Old Norse gaddr (“goad, spike”), from Proto-Germanic *gazdaz (“spike, rod, stake”). Doublet of goad and yard.

Gad · proper noun5

  1. Biblical Hebrew · borrowed fromגָּד
  2. English todayGad

Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew גָּד (gad), a son of Jacob.

Words from the same roots

Proto-West Germanic*gaduling all →

gadling

Old Norsegaddr all →

Gadsby

Proto-Germanic*gazdaz all →

yard

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.