- Gesundheit
Gesundheit (audio|DE_Gesundheit.ogg|German pronunciation IPA2|ɡəˈzʊntˌhaɪt) is the German and
Yiddish word forhealth . When a personsneeze s, German, Yiddish, and American English speakers typically say "Gesundheit!" to wish them good health, serving much the same purpose as "bless you " in English. The expression arrived in America with early German immigrants, such as thePennsylvania Dutch , and doubtless passed into local English usage in areas with substantial German-speaking populations. [citeweb|url=http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/?date=19970923|date=1997-09-23|title=Random House Word of the Day] The expression is first widely attested inAmerican English as of 1910, about the time when large numbers of Yiddish-speakingAshkenazi Jews immigrated to the United States. The correct Yiddish pronunciation is gezunterheyt געזונטערהייט.When used in an English context the word is often pronounced as IPA| [ɡəˈzʊntaɪd] or IPA| [ɡəˈzʊntaɪt] .
Use
"Gesundheit" is also used in
Australia . It was imported to South Australia through theEvangelical Lutheran refugees who fled the established Lutheran church in the east of Germany. TheseSilesia n immigrants spoke their own language until the twoWorld War s caused a dramatic decline in the use of German in Australia. "Gesundheit" was used until recent times by the majority English speaking population. Its usage seems now to have declined.Fact|date=September 2008The expression is also found in Jewish custom. Although not technically part of Jewish Law (
Halacha ), the custom of saying "gezuntheit", "tzu gezunt", "labree'ut", or "God bless you " is considered a mannerly custom. It is written inPirke De-Rabbi Eliezer (51) that thepatriarch Jacob was the first person to become ill before passing on. Before that, people would sneeze and die. When God infused the soul into Man, He "blew it" into Adam's nostrils. Thus, when it came time for the soul to be returned to its Maker, it would leave through the same portal it arrived.Occasionally in popular culture, if a character in, for example, a
cartoon says a particularly long or complex word or phrase, someone else will often sarcastically say "Gesundheit" in return, owing to the awkwardness of the way the word sounds.Gesundheit can also be used to refer to
Skewes' number (10^10^10^34); one of the largest numbers ever used in a mathematical proof.References
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