*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of goody

From good + -y (suffix forming colloquialisms), influenced by the noun (Etymology 2).

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
intj

Used to indicate pleasure or delight.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From good + -y (suffix forming colloquialisms), influenced by the noun (Etymology 2).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Word-formation componentgooden
  • Word-formation component-yen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A small amount of something good to eat. · Any small, usually free, item. · Pudding made by boiling bread in milk with sugar and spices. · Alternative form of goodie (“hero, good character in a story”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *gadanąvṛd. Proto-Germanic *gōdaz Proto-West Germanic *gōd Old English gōd Middle English good English good Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English goody From good + -y (nominal suffix).

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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        "A small amount of something good to eat.",
        "Any small, usually free, item.",
        "Pudding made by boiling bread in milk with sugar and spices.",
        "Alternative form of goodie (“hero, good character in a story”)."
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
adj

Synonym of goody-goody (“mawkishly good; weakly benevolent or pious”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *gadanąvṛd. Proto-Germanic *gōdaz Proto-West Germanic *gōd Old English gōd Middle English good English good Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English goody From good + -y (adjectival suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

Goodwife, a 17th-century Puritan honorific for an adult woman.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of goodwife + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare hussy from housewife, the obsolete pronunciation /ˈmɪdɪf/ of midwife, and less directly, missus from mistress.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for goody →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-Z29vZHk