Gift
German
Etymology
From Middle High German gift f (“gift, something given”), Old High German gift f (“gift”), from Proto-Germanic *giftiz, which is a derivation of *gebaną (“to give”). Cognate with English gift.[1]
The word has been used as a euphemism for "poison" since (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old High German, influenced by Late Latin dosis (“dose”), from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “something given; dose of medicine”). The original meaning "gift" has disappeared in contemporary Standard German, but see Mitgift. Compare also Dutch gift (“gift”) alongside gif (“poison”).
Pronunciation
Noun
Gift n (genitive Gifts or Giftes, plural Gifte)
- poison; toxin; venom
- 2010, Der Spiegel, issue 31/2010, page 49:
- Der Mann ist Toxikologe, ein Experte für Gift. Er arbeitet für ein Pharma-Unternehmen.
- The man is a toxicologist, an expert on poison. He works for a pharmaceutical business.
- Der Mann ist Toxikologe, ein Experte für Gift. Er arbeitet für ein Pharma-Unternehmen.
- 2010, Der Spiegel, issue 31/2010, page 49:
Usage notes
- While the word is neuter in contemporary German, it may also occasionally be masculine in older texts.
Declension
Derived terms
- auf etwas Gift nehmen können
- giftfrei
- giftig
- Gegengift
- Giftpflanze
- Giftpilz
- Giftstoff
- Rauschgift
- vergiften
Noun
Gift f (genitive Gift, plural Giften)
Synonyms
- (gift): Gabe
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- ^ Friedrich Kluge (1989) “Gift”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN
Further reading
Hunsrik
Pronunciation
Noun
Gift n (plural Gifte)
- poison
- Sie hod Gift genomm.
- She took poison.
- Bass uff, das is Gift.
- Beware, this is poison.
Further reading
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
Compare German Gift, Dutch gif.
Noun
Gift n
- poison
- poison ivy, ivy poisoning
Categories:
- German terms inherited from Middle High German
- German terms derived from Middle High German
- German terms inherited from Old High German
- German terms derived from Old High German
- German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Late Latin
- German terms derived from Ancient Greek
- German 1-syllable words
- German terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:German/ɪft
- German terms with audio links
- German lemmas
- German nouns
- German neuter nouns
- German feminine nouns
- German terms with obsolete senses
- Hunsrik 1-syllable words
- Hunsrik terms with IPA pronunciation
- Hunsrik lemmas
- Hunsrik nouns
- Hunsrik neuter nouns
- Hunsrik terms with usage examples
- Pennsylvania German lemmas
- Pennsylvania German nouns
- Pennsylvania German neuter nouns