Godiva

G2O1D2I1V4A1
/ɡəˈdaɪ.və/

proper noun

An 11th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode unclothed through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband had imposed on his tenants.

OriginMiddle English Godiva ← Old English Godġifu →
Less commonScrabble 11
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proper noun

alternative Goodeve

  1. An 11th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode unclothed through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband had imposed on his tenants.

Origin

  1. Old EnglishGodġifu
  2. Middle EnglishGodiva
  3. EnglishGodiva

From Middle English Godiva, a Latinised form of Old English Godġifu (literally “God gift”), from god (“god”) + ġifu (“gift”). Doublet of Goody, Goodey.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Godiva

vivasalivaconjunctivagingivasubconjunctiva
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

Godiva. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Godiva

MLA

“Godiva.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Godiva. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Godiva,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Godiva.

Source: Godiva on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.