When English speakers hear "achoo," they usually respond with either "Gesundheit" or "God bless you." Gesundheit was borrowed from German, where it means "health". \n\nWishing a person good health when they sneezed was believed to forestall the illness that a sneeze might indicate. "God bless you" had a similar purpose. \n\nIt was once believed the soul could exit the body during a sneeze, causing ill health. Folks said "God bless you" to ward off this danger.