After sneezing what does the phrase "ga-zoo-tite" mean and what language is it?

Question

My 11 year old always says the "ga-zoo-tite" ( ? spelling ) and I tell him he does not even know what he is saying and he says it's "English" language and all the kids say it. Well, that aroused my curosity.

Answer 1

As the others have said it's actually a German word “Gesundheit!”. Most often in English, we pronounce it "Gu-zoom-tite" Most people don't even know why they say it now, it's just a custom to say it or "Bless you," "God bless You." Pope Gregory the 1st was the first thought to have said it during the plague of 590 AD. He blessed people after they sneezed to try to ward off the plague. Today it's just considered polite manners to say “Gesundheit!” or "(God) Bless you" after someone sneezes.

Answer 2

Gott segnen Sie is the German for "God Bless you", the Americanism of this is Gautzoomtite. Saying "God bless you" when a person sneezed came about during the 'black plague' because sneezing was one of the first signs that you may have contracted the disease.
Gesundheit
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Gesundheit (German pronunciation (help·info)) (IPA pronunciation: [ɡəˈzʊntˈhaıt]) is the German word for health. When a person sneezes, Germans typically say Gesundheit! to wish them good health. This expression has found its way into the English language via Ashkenazi Jews who were immigrating in large masses to the United States during the early twentieth century. It is sometimes used instead of the more common "bless you".

Often the word, when used in an English context, is mispronounced as [ɡəˈzʊnˈtaıd].

Gesundheit is also used in Australia. It was imported to South Australia through the Evangelical Lutheran refugees who fled the established Lutheran church in the east of Germany. These Silesian immigrants spoke their own language until the two World Wars 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.

Answer 3

Gazoontite
I looked this up in the Google German to English language translator and it said "Sorry, this text cannot be translated." This made me suspicious, so I translated "Bless You" from english to German and it said "Segnen Sie Sie."

If "Segnen Sie Sie" is "bless you," what is Gazoontite? It might be some sort of trap, please be careful.

Correction: A crackervillian was kind enough to clarify the spelling of this mysterious word!

No wonder you couldn't find it - You've been saying it wrong. The word is "gesundheit". Pronounced ga-zoond-hite.
I revisited Google translator and discovered "gesundheit" actually means "health!"

So perhaps there is not a conspiracy here, or if there is it is very well hidden indeed. I still think you should be careful, but perhaps not as careful as before. Like medium-careful. Or Defcon 3.

Please Note: This is further proof that crackervillians are not bad people.

Answer 4

"Gesundheit" is the German version of "Be Healthy" and is a very common thing to say in the USA when someone is sneezing. It is one of those terms, that although originally a foreign word, has become part of the English language through lots of use, so your son is correct.

Answer 5

Gesundheit literally means "health" in German.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=16120

Answer 6

Used to wish good health to a person who has just sneezed.
German, health, from Middle High German gesuntheit, from gesunt, healthy, from Old High German gisunt


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesundheit

Answer 7

German for God Bless You, but the spelling is different from what you wrote.

Answer 8

It's the German equivalent to bless you and means good health in German.

Answer 9

Gesundheit means good health in German.

Answer 10

It's actually gesundheit. It's German and it means good health so people say it to wish for you to have good health.