Gelt
/ɡɛlt/noun
Money, especially money given as a gift or associated with Hanukkah.
Did you know?Hanukkah gelt originally referred to money given to teachers or the poor, while the familiar chocolate coins became popular much later.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰeldʰ-
“To pay or render a payment; the reconstructed ancestor of the Germanic money-word family.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*geldą
“Payment, tribute, or compensation.”
Old English
Old English
geld
“Payment, tribute, or tax.”
Middle High German
Middle High German
gelt
“Money, payment, or compensation.”
Medieval Yiddish
Yiddish
gelt
“Money.”
Modern English
English
gelt
“Money, especially Hanukkah money or a monetary gift.”