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ge·stalt or Ge·stalt

(gə-shtält, -shtôlt, -stält, -stôlt)

n. pl. ge·stalts or ge·stalt·en (-shtältn, -shtôltn, -stältn, -stôltn) or Ge·stalts or Ge·stalt·en

A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.

[German, shape, from Middle High German, from past participle of stellen, to place, from Old High German; see stel- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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