Note 7 — Chapter III · THE BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICATION OF THE WORD “GOOD”
Reading edition
The following list of uses of the word “good” has been taken from Murray’s New Oxford Dictionary, The Century Dictionary and Encyclopedia, Webster’s, and the Standard Dictionary. From the same sources also were derived the lists given in the following five chapters. It should, however, be well noted that the lexicographer rarely attempts such an analytical definition of words as we are in search of here. He confines himself chiefly to the etymology of a word and its synonyms, and to citing quotations which illustrate the accepted usage of words. As a result, the man who looks into a dictionary will increase his range of associations long before he will be stimulated to perform that most fruitful of all mental activities,—critical analysis.
The Uses of the Word “Good”
1. Good food; fit to eat, untainted.
2. Good food; nutritious, palatable.
3. Good medicine; useful as a remedy.
4. Good soil; fertile, arable.
5. Good ice; easy to skate on.
6. Good ice; fit to dissolve in drinking water.
7. Good ship; capable, or under sail, or expressing pride in the owner, or as an expression of well-wishing.
8. Good cat; able mouser, house-broken, etc.
9. Good child; quiet, obedient, not troublesome.
10. Good person for: capable, thorough, skilful, competent, clever at, in concord with.
11. “To can no good,” (colloq.); to be untrained.
12. Good for a period of time; well able to accomplish.
13. In good earnest; vigorously and effectively.
14. Good king; one who fulfils his function, or is beloved by his subjects.
15. To good; to improve land by manuring it.
16. Good space or time for; available for the purpose.
17. Good opinion; favorable or approving, laudatory.
18. Good cry; beneficent, profitable, salutary, wholesome.
19. Good spirits; not depressed or dejected, indicative of resilience or ambition.
20. Good offices; friendly use of power.
21. Good man; kind, benevolent, gentle, gracious, friendly, favorably disposed, virtuous, skilful, commendable, pious, devout, or religiously approved.
22. Good season; holy days.
23. The good book; “tending to spiritual edification.”
24. The good God; “connoting perfection or benevolence.”
25. Highest good; conventional phrase of philosophers.
26. “Antonio is a good man”; reliable, safe, able to fulfil his engagements, financially sound.
27. “A man of good”; of property, standing, rank.
28. Goods; property, merchandise, wares, live-stock, cattle, etc.
29. “A great good”; a large sum of money.
30. To yield a good product or result; to turn to a person’s advantage.
31. To the good; balance on the credit side, excess of assets over liabilities.
32. “Good fors”; colloquial in South Africa for promissory notes, drafts, “I.O.U.’s,” etc.
33. Good wind; favorable, not too weak or too strong.
34. Good health; conducive to peace of mind and longevity.
35. Good order; stable, satisfying.
36. Good complexion; gratifying, favorable, advantageous, etc.
37. Good face; fair or smooth, or indicating intellectual ability or trustworthiness of character.
38. Good play; agreeable, amusing, skilful.
39. Good fame; honorable, not sullied.
40. To have a good night of it; to sleep undisturbedly and to be refreshed by so doing.
41. To have a good time of it; period of enjoyment.
42. Good will; benevolence.
43. “Good morning”; elliptical for well wishing.
44. “Good bye”; elliptical for well wishing at departure.
45. To take in good part; to be somewhat pleased, or at least not displeased.
46. “Good to overcome”; easy to overcome.
47. To appear or seem good; implying various degrees of commendation, depending, however, upon the accent of the speaker.
48. A good deal; an amount greater than expected.
49. A good deal; adequate, abundant, ample, sufficient.
50. As good as; practically or to all intents and purposes the same.
51. To be as good as one’s word; to act up to the full sense of the letter or the meaning.
52. To make good; to succeed, fulfil, or perform, carry out or succeed in performing.
53. To make good; to fill up even or level.
54. To make good; to repair or restore, to compensate for, to supply a deficiency, to pay a debt.
55. To make good; to secure prisoners for the night.
56. To make good; to prove to be true or valid, to demonstrate or substantiate a statement.
57. Good for a certain amount; spoken of a person expected to pay or contribute.
58. Good debts; those which are expected to be paid in full.
59. To make one’s part good; to make a successful resistance.
60. To become good for; to fulfil expectation.
61. To come to good; spoken of a dream that comes true.
62. Good birth; average or above the average, not humble or mean.
63. Good coin; genuine, not counterfeit.
64. Good purpose or conduct; commendable, acceptable, up to standard, not causing trouble.
65. Good jest; smart, witty, typical, or even exceptional.
66. Good right, claim, reason, plea, proposition; valid, sound.
67. Good legal decision, or contract; valid, effectual, not vitiated by any flaw.
68. To have a good mind to; to be ready to act, to have a matured intention.
69. “Our good wishes go with you”; expectation of happiness or prosperity.
70. For good and all; valid conclusion, finally.
71. “Good my lord”; courteous address, deferential attitude, expectation of favor or esteem.
72. Good life insurance risk; likely to live a long time.
73. “Good men and true”; spoken of a jury that is expected to render a fair verdict.
74. Good old; possibly a term of praise, or merely meaning very old.
75. “Good words!”; equivalent to “do not speak so fiercely,” or “I expected kind words from you.”
76. “The good people”; palliatory with reference to the fairies or witches.
77. Good gracious! good Peter! good God!; exclamatory, possibly signifying the presence of something that is unexpected, which may be either welcome or otherwise.
78. Good folk; used in a jocular or depreciatory sense.
79. Goody good; mildly depreciatory of trustful simplicity.