Gift

See also: gift and GIFT

German

FWOTD – 25 December 2012

Etymology

From Middle High German gift f (“gift, present”), Old High German gift f (“gift”), from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz, which is a derivation of *gebaną (“to give”). Cognate with English gift.

The word has been used as a euphemism for "poison" since Old High German, a semantic loan from Late Latin dosis (“dose”), from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “gift; dose of medicine”). The original meaning "gift" has disappeared in contemporary Standard German, but remains in some compounds (see Mitgift). Compare also Dutch gift (“gift”) alongside gif (“poison”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɪft/
• Rhymes: -ɪft

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Gift n (strong, genitive Giftes or Gifts, plural Gifte)

1. poison; toxin; venom
   • 2010, Der Spiegel‎^[1], number 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.
• Note that Gift is a false friend and does not mean "gift". The general word for "gift" is Geschenk.

Declension

Declension of Gift [neuter, strong]

	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 rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• auf etwas Gift nehmen können
• Bakteriengift
• Bienengift
• Blutgift
• Fliegengift
• Gegengift
• Genussgift
• Giftanschlag
• giftarm
• Giftattentat
• Giftbecher
• Giftcocktail
• Giftdrüse
• gifteln
• giftempfindlich
• giften
• giftfest
• Giftfisch
• giftfrei
• Giftgas
• giftgrün
• gifthaltig
• Gifthauch
• giftig
• Giftigkeit
• Giftköder
• Giftkröte
• Giftküche
• Giftler
• Giftmischer
• Giftmord
• Giftmüll
• Giftnatter
• Giftnudel
• Giftpfeil
• Giftpflanze
• Giftpilz
• Giftschlange
• Giftschrank
• Giftschwamm
• Giftspinne
• Giftspritze
• Giftstachel
• Giftstoff
• Gifttier
• Gifttrank
• Giftwirkung
• Giftwolke
• Giftzahn
• Giftzwerg
• Heilgift
• Insektengift
• Keimgift
• Klimagift
• Kontaktgift
• Lebergift
• Leichengift
• Mitgift
• Mitosegift
• Mordgift
• Nervengift
• Pfeilgift
• Pflanzengift
• Pilzgift
• Rattengift
• Rauschgift
• Schlangengift
• Suchtgift
• Umweltgift
• vergiften
• Zellgift

 

Noun

Gift f (genitive Gift, plural Giften)

1. (obsolete) gift; something given

   Synonym: Gabe

Derived terms

• Mitgift

Descendants

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

Further reading

• “Gift” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Gift” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• Gift on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• “Gift” in Duden online
• “Gift” in Duden online

Hunsrik

Etymology

From Middle High German and Old High German gift, from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kift/

Noun

Gift n (plural Gifte)

1. poison

   Sie hod Gift genomm.

   She took poison.

   Bass uff, das is Gift.

   Beware, this is poison.

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German and Old High German gift, from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic *giftiz. Compare German Gift, Dutch gif.

Noun

Gift n

1. poison
2. poison ivy, ivy poisoning