Geld
/ɡɛld/noun
To deprive an animal or person of reproductive organs; in historical legal use, to fine or punish.
Did you know?Geld is tied to an old Germanic root meaning “to pay” or “make payment,” which is why the same ancient family also gives us words like “yield” and “guild” in related forms.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*geldaną
“to pay, repay, compensate”
Old English
OE
gieldan
“to pay, render, give in return”
Old Norse
ON
gjalda
“to pay, repay”
Middle English
ME
gelden
“to castrate; also to pay or render”
Modern English
English
geld
“to castrate an animal; historically, to deprive of reproductive power”