Gift

See also: gift and GIFT

German
FWOTD – 25 December 2012

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 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
  • IPA(key): /ɡɪft/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Gift n (genitive Gifts or Giftes, plural Gifte)

  1. 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.

Usage notes
  • While the word is neuter in contemporary German, it may also occasionally be masculine in older texts.

Declension
Declension of Gift
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein das Gift die Gifte
genitive eines des Giftes,
Gifts		 der Gifte
dative einem dem Gift,
Gifte1		 den Giften
accusative ein das Gift die Gifte
1Now uncommon, see notes

Derived terms

Noun

Gift f (genitive Gift, plural Giften)

  1. (obsolete) gift; something given

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Danish: gift (“poison”)
  • Saterland Frisian: Gift

References
  1. Kluge, Friedrich (1989), “Gift”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological dictionary of the German language] (in German), 22nd edition, →ISBN

Further reading
  • Gift in Duden online
  • Gift in Duden online
  • “Gift” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German Gift, Dutch gif.

Noun

Gift n

  1. poison
  2. poison ivy, ivy poisoning
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