gesundheit

[ guh-zoont-hahyt ]

interjection

1. (used to wish good health, especially to a person who has just sneezed.)

gesundheit

/ ɡəˈzʊnthait /

sentence substitute

1. an expression used to wish good health to someone who has just sneezed

Gesundheit

1. German for “good health.” Like the English phrase “Bless you,” it is conventionally said to someone who has just sneezed. This reflects the superstition that a sneeze can cause the soul to fly out of the body; saying the phrase prevents this from happening.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gesundheit¹

1905–10, Americanism; < German: literally, health, equivalent to gesund healthy ( Old High German gisunt; sound ² ) + -heit -hood

Word History and Origins

Origin of gesundheit¹

from gesund healthy + -heit -hood ; see sound ²

Example Sentences

Why bother still bringing up someone’s nepo-ness whenever their name is mentioned, with both the mic-drop confidence of a gotcha and the rote formality of a gesundheit?

From Slate

And that Fennell has set her marvelously wicked story in 2006 — a decade before “check your privilege” became a refrain as common as “gesundheit” — makes Felix’s early-onset empathy extraordinary.

From Los Angeles Times

Saying “Thank you for your service,” after learning that someone served in the military has become commonplace, but many veterans say the phrase has become so rote that it’s little more than a reflex statement, like saying “Gesundheit” after someone sneezes.

From Washington Times

Using the Gesundheit ll, a machine developed to measure flu transmission, she and her colleagues measure the amount of the virus in exhaled breath, and their findings help explain why new variants are more contagious in addition to their ability to evade immunity, she said.

From Washington Post

Those around me sometimes respond with “God bless you,” “Gesundheit” or the like, to which I give a polite nod.

From Washington Post