The earliest written form of the Germanic word God (always, in this usage, capitalized) comes from the 6th-century Christian Codex Argenteus. The English word itself is derived from the Proto-Germanic * ǥuđan. The reconstructed Proto-Indo-European form * ǵhu-tó-m was likely based on the root * ǵhau(ə)-, which meant either "to call" or "to invoke". The Germanic words for God were originally neuter—applying to both genders—but during the process of the Christianization of the Germanic peoples from their indigenous Germanic paganism, the words became a masculine syntactic form. COUNT 8
QSN1 Where is the English word God derived from? ANS1 the Proto-Germanic * ǥuđan QSN2 Where the first Germanic words for God masculine or feminine? ANS2 neuter—applying to both genders QSN3 When did the Germanic words for God take on a masculine form? ANS3 Christianization of the Germanic peoples QSN4 What was practiced by the Germanic people before their Christianization? ANS4 Germanic paganism QSN5 What did the gaelic root of the word for God mean? ANS5 "to call" or "to invoke" QSN6 Where does the word God come from originally? ANS6 Codex Argenteus QSN7 What language does the English word God come from? ANS7 German QSN8 What gender where the original Germanic words meaning God in? ANS8 neuter