Is the similarity between the Arabic word Gayyid and the English word Good due to a borrowing?

Question

Why is the Arabic word **جید** (**jayyid**) which is pronounced **gayyid** in Egypt and means *good*, so similar to the word **good** or the German word **gut**? Is it a borrowing? (since the word for *good* is very different in Hebrew - it is *טוב (tov)*) If it is a borrowing, why would such a *basic* word have been borrowed by a people?

Answer 1

I appreciate the previous answers, and I'm not arguing here, I'm not an expert in comparative languages. But I'd like to draw attention on one subject that has intrigued me for so long and have done some unfinished research on, the Cognates. Started with Cognates and ended with comparing several languages for use of letters and meanings, it was found out that letters have certain meanings that are shared with most languages around. The word good in English is jayyed in Arabic and góður in Icelandic, gowy in Turkmen, اچھی in Urdu, godt in Danish, and many other languages. Please note the use of the sound of ’g’ in all the above examples. Something to think about, no? Language is lugga in Arabic, Langage in French, język in Polish… and the examples are in the thousands for the rest of the letters and including a number of unrelated languages. Before we establish which language borrowed from which, we need to explore this new horizon first. I have developed a list comparing 3 languages with rune letters that is extinct, and guess what??  

I think we need to found a new science here.

Interesting thought!

Answer 2

Very good point here!

The verb of the word Jayyed جيّد is جاد - يجود which means: To give generously.

Jayyed comes from JOUYD جويد . When we have WAW with SOUKOON وْ followed by YAA ي we make the WAW YAA and we double the two YAAs: ج ي ي د = جيّد

يسمّى هذا بالإعلال بالقلب

In Arabic when we say to someone JAYYED we encourage him to give/move more and more for better results.

I don't see any type of borrowing here.

سلامات!

Answer 3

Kind of a borrowing, but not in the way that you're thinking! The word good comes from, as far as I can tell, the Old English or Middle English word gōd (pronounced with a long O, I believe!). It means excellent, fine, desirable, complete, etc. Going back further, it makes sense that good/gōd would come from The Bible! :-)