goth

goth · noun, adjective¹

1. Gothic · derived from*𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌰
2. Ancient Greek · derived fromΓότθοι“Goths”
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromΓοτθικός
4. Late Latin · derived fromgothicus“Gothic, barbaric”
5. English todaygoth

From gothic rock, first used by John Stickney in reference to The Doors in 1967 and used by the late 1970s to describe the musical scene that gave rise to the goth subculture, both from a supposed aesthetic similarity to dark and moody 19th century gothic fiction and earlier gothic art and architecture, from Late Latin gothicus (“Gothic, barbaric”), from Ancient Greek Γοτθικός (Gotthikós), from Ancient Greek Γότθοι (Gótthoi, “Goths”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”), proposed to derive from unattested Gothic *𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌰 (*guta).

Goth · noun, adjective, proper noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*gutô
2. Late Latin · derived fromGothi
3. Old English · derived fromGotan
4. Middle English · derived fromGothes
5. English todayGoth

From Middle English Gothes, Gotes (both plural). In turn partly from Old English Gotan, singular Gota, and partly from Late Latin Gothi. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gutô, perhaps from *geutaną (“to pour”). Compare Old Norse Goti (“Gotlander, Goth”), and related also to Gutnish, Gotland.

Words from the same roots