gud

Gud is the word for God in several Scandinavian languages, most commonly Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. In these languages, Gud denotes the supreme deity in Abrahamic religious traditions and is used in liturgy, prayers, and everyday religious discourse. The term can also appear in secular discussions about theology or spirituality when referring to the concept of God in a general sense.

In Icelandic the equivalent term is Guð, written with the eth letter, and pronounced similarly. Old Norse and its descendant languages historically used forms such as Guð/Guð, showing the same religious concept but with different orthographic conventions. The modern Scandinavian variants are closely related and share a common ancestral word that reflects the idea of a singular divine being.

Etymology and cognates: Gud derives from Proto-Germanic roots and has recognizable cognates across Germanic languages. While the exact historical form varies by language, the core meaning—an all-powerful, creator deity—remains consistent in those linguistic families. This semantic core is also reflected in religious texts and iconography across the region.

Usage and context: In most contexts, Gud is capitalized when referring to the deity (as a proper name) and can be used in both doctrinal summaries and everyday speech by speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. In Icelandic, Guð retains the diacritic and represents the same concept. The term is primarily associated with monotheistic traditions but may appear in cultural works addressing religion more broadly.

See also: God (English); Guð (Icelandic).