Etymology

primarily from German gesund, "sound(cognate with);healthy; unharmed" which itself is from Old High German Gisunt, which is the earliest German source of the post-sneezing interjection. Ultimately steming from a term evolved from the from , from root (compare English sound [adj], "healthy, safe, unharmed"; Old English gesund "sound, safe, healthy"; O.S. gisund, Old Frisian sund, Dutch gezond, Swedish sund, Old High German gisunt, "healthy"; also Old English swið "strong", Gothic swinþs "strong"; German geschwind "fast, quick"), with connections in Indo-Iranian and Balto-Slavic.

Related terms

• auf ihre Gesundheit ("to your health")
• gesundheit(loanword (decapitalized) into English)
• sound
• Dutch eq.: gezondheid