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Today it means

gesundheit

said to someone who has sneezed

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Where does the word "gesundheit" come from? It comes from German Gesundheit, and was adopted directly into English (1910s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "gesundheit" come from? It comes from German Gesundheit, and was adopted directly into English (1910s).

Gesundheit’s story begins in German: Gesundheit meant “health.” Health, from 'gesund', healthy. It reached English by 1910s as gesundheit. German immigrants brought the blessing to the United States. Today, gesundheit means said to someone who has sneezed.

  1. Stage 1 · German · medieval Gesundheit "health", health, from 'gesund', healthy.
  2. Stage 2 · American English · 1910s gesundheit "bless you", German immigrants brought the blessing to the United States.

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