Etymograph

English

Gesellschaft

Gesellschaft comes from German Gesellschaft ‘company’, from Geselle ‘fellow’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gasaljô ‘housemate, companion’.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gasaljô‘housemate, companion’reconstructed
  2. Old High Germanc. 750–1050gisello
  3. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350geselle‘companion, fellow, lover’
  4. Germanc. 1650–presentGeselle‘fellow’
  5. German, derivedc. 1650–presentGesellschaft‘company’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1973same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gasaljô‘housemate, companion’reconstructed
  2. Old High Germanc. 750–1050gisello
  3. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350geselle‘companion, fellow, lover’
  4. Germanc. 1650–presentGeselle‘fellow’
  5. German, derivedc. 1650–presentGesellschaft‘company’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1973same form

Earliest quotation: 1973, Thomas Pynchon: “Seven years later, Hernández wrote a Return of Martín…”

Every English word from Proto-Germanic *gasaljô

Today it means

noun A hypothetical mode of society, made up of self-serving individuals linked by impersonal ties; as opposed to Gemeinschaft.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *gasaljô / Gesellschaft

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