An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/genesen

by Friedrich Kluge

genesen, vb., ‘to get well, recover,’ from MidHG. genësen, OHG. ginësan, str. vb., ‘to be left alive, be healed, escape alive,’ also ‘to be delivered of a child’; corresponding to Goth. ganisan, ‘to recover health, be rescued, saved,’ AS. genësan, OSax. ginësan, ‘to be rescued, be left alive’; also Du. genezen, ‘to heal, cure.’ The Teut. root nes, with which nähren and its cognates are connected as factitives, corresponds to the Sans. root nas, ‘to approach in an affectionate manner, join,’ and especially to Gr. νέομαι (root νεσ-), ‘to come back,’ and νόσ-τος, ‘return home.’ From Teut. are derived OSlov. gonĭząti (goneznąti), ‘to be redeemed,’ and gonoziti, ‘to redeem,’ allied to gonoziteljĭ, ‘Saviour.’ See nähren.