An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/besser
besser, compar. adj., ‘better’; see the corresponding adv. baß; superl. best; from MidHG. beȥȥer, best (beȥȥist), OHG. beȥȥiro, beȥȥist; corresponds to AS. betera, betst, E. better, best; Goth. batiza, batists. Even in primit. Teut. gut formed its degrees of comparison in this way, which might be represented in Ind. by *bhadyas-, *bhadišṭha-. The etymology of ModHG. gut is difficult to get at; in the case of besser we are assisted by the cognate root in Buße, the primit. meaning of which is ‘utility’; the ethical notion arose from that of interest. At all events, thus the matter stands from the merely Teut. point of view. It has been connected more remotely with OInd. bhadrá-s, to which the primary meaning ‘shining’ is assigned; but in this sense the Ind. word cannot be cognate; it belongs to the root bhand, and would consequently become *buntrs in Goth. The chief significations of bhadrá-s, however, are ‘capable, salutary, prosperous,’ which are in closer approximation to the idea of interest. Of these meanings besser and best might form the degrees of comparison.