Rarely Used G Words

Gaberdine • noun 1 a smooth, durable twill-woven worsted or cotton cloth. 2 Brit. a raincoat
made of gaberdine.

— ORIGIN Old French gauvardine, perhaps from High German wallevart ‘pilgrimage’ and originally
‘a garment worn by a pilgrim’.

Gad • verb (gadded, gadding) (gad about/around) informal go around from one place to
another seeking pleasure and entertainment.

— ORIGIN from obsolete gadling wanderer, vagabond, from Germanic.

Gaffe • noun an embarrassing blunder.

— ORIGIN French, ‘boathook’, in colloquial use ‘blunder’.

Gaga • adjective informal rambling in speech or thought; senile or slightly mad.

— ORIGIN French.

Gaggle • noun 1 a flock of geese. 2 informal a disorderly group of people.

— ORIGIN imitative of the noise that a goose makes.

Gainsay • verb (past and past part. gainsaid) formal deny or contradict; speak against.

— DERIVATIVES gainsayer noun.

— ORIGIN from obsolete gain- ‘against’ + SAY.

Gaiter • noun 1 a covering of cloth or leather for the ankle and lower leg. 2 chiefly US a shoe or
overshoe extending to the ankle or above.

— DERIVATIVES gaitered adjective.

— ORIGIN French guêtre.

Galleon • noun historical a large square-rigged sailing ship with three or more decks and masts.

— ORIGIN French galion or Spanish galeón.

Gallinaceous • adjective 1 pertaining to or resembling the domestic fowls. 2 belonging or pertaining to the order
Galliformes, comprising medium-sized, mainly ground-feeding domestic or game birds, as the chicken, turkey,
grouse, pheasant, and partridge.

— ORIGIN 1775–85; < L gallīnāceus pertaining to poultry, equiv. to gallīn(a) hen (deriv. of gallus cock) + -āceus -ACEOUS

Gallivant • verb informal go from place to place seeking pleasure and entertainment.

— ORIGIN perhaps from GALLANT.

Galosh • noun a waterproof rubber overshoe.

— ORIGIN originally denoting a type of clog: from Latin gallica solea ‘Gallic shoe’.

Gambol • verb (gambolled, gambolling; US gamboled, gamboling) run or jump about playfully.

• noun an act of gambolling.

— ORIGIN Italian gambata ‘trip up’.

Gambit • noun 1 an action or remark calculated to gain an advantage. 2 (in chess) an opening
move in which a player makes a sacrifice for the sake of some compensating advantage.

— ORIGIN Italian gambetto ‘tripping up’.

Gamete • noun Biology a mature haploid male or female germ cell which is able to unite with
another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote.

— DERIVATIVES gametic /g mettik/ adjective.

— ORIGIN Greek gamete ‘wife’, gametes ‘husband’, from gamos ‘marriage’.

Gamin • noun a neglected boy left to run about the streets; street urchin.

— ORIGIN 1830–40; < F, orig. boy assisting a glassblower, young boy; of uncert. orig.

Gammon • noun 1 ham which has been cured like bacon. 2 the bottom piece of a side of bacon,
including a hind leg.

— ORIGIN Old French gambon, from gambe ‘leg’.

Gander • noun 1 a male goose. 2 informal a look or glance.

— ORIGIN Old English, related to GANNET.

Gangling • adjective (of a person) tall, thin, and awkward.

— ORIGIN from GANG

Gangplank • noun a movable plank used to board or disembark from a ship or boat.

Gangway • noun 1 a raised platform or walkway providing a passage. 2 a movable bridge linking
a ship to the shore. 3 Brit. a passage between rows of seats in an auditorium, aircraft, etc.

• exclamation make way!

Gannet • noun 1 a large seabird with mainly white plumage, catching fish by plunge-diving. 2 Brit.
informal a greedy person.

— ORIGIN Old English, related to GANDER.

Gantry • noun (pl. gantries) a bridge-like overhead structure supporting equipment such as a
crane or railway signals.

— ORIGIN originally denoting a wooden stand for barrels: probably from GALLON + TREE.

Garble • verb reproduce (a message or transmission) in a confused and distorted way.

• noun a garbled account or transmission.

— DERIVATIVES garbler noun.

— ORIGIN originally in the sense sift out, cleanse: from an Arabic word meaning sift.

Garish • adjective obtrusively bright and showy; lurid.

— DERIVATIVES garishly adverb garishness noun.

— ORIGIN of unknown origin.

Garnet • noun a deep red semi-precious stone.

— ORIGIN perhaps from Latin granatum, as in pomum granatum ‘pomegranate’ (literally ‘apple
having many seeds’), because the garnet is similar in colour to the pulp of the fruit.

Garnishee • verb used with object 1 to attach (money or property) by garnishment. 2 to serve (a person) with
a garnishment.

— ORIGIN 1620–30; GARNISH + -EE

Garret • noun a top-floor or attic room.

— ORIGIN originally in the sense watchtower: from Old French garite, from garir (see GARRISON).

Garrulous • adjective excessively talkative.

— DERIVATIVES garrulity /g rooliti/ noun garrulously adverb garrulousness noun.

— ORIGIN Latin garrulus, from garrire ‘to chatter, prattle’.

Gasket • noun a sheet or ring of rubber or other material sealing the junction between two
surfaces in an engine or other device.

— ORIGIN originally denoting a cord securing a furled sail to the yard of a sailing ship: perhaps
from French garcette ‘thin rope’ (originally ‘little girl’).

Gastropod • noun Zoology any of a large class of molluscs including snails, slugs, and whelks.

— ORIGIN from Greek gaster ‘stomach’ + pous ‘foot’.

Gauche • adjective socially awkward or unsophisticated.

— DERIVATIVES gauchely adverb gaucheness noun.

 — ORIGIN French, ‘left’.

Gavel • noun a small hammer with which an auctioneer, judge, etc., hits a surface to call for
attention or order.

• verb (gavelled, gavelling; US gaveled, gaveling) bring to order by use of a gavel.

— ORIGIN originally denoting a stonemason’s mallet: of unknown origin.

Gazump • verb Brit. informal deprive (someone whose offer to purchase a house has already
been accepted) from proceeding with the purchase by offering or accepting a higher figure.

— DERIVATIVES gazumper noun.

— ORIGIN originally in the sense ‘swindle’: from Yiddish, ‘overcharge’.

Geezer • noun informal a man.

— ORIGIN representing a dialect pronunciation of earlier guiser ‘mummer’.

Geld • verb castrate (a male animal).

— ORIGIN from an Old Norse word meaning ‘barren’.

Gelding • noun a castrated animal, especially a male horse.

Gelignite • noun a high explosive made from a gel of nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose in a base of
wood pulp and sodium or potassium nitrate, used particularly for blasting rock.

— ORIGIN probably from GELATIN + Latin lignis ‘wood’.

Genera • noun plural for genus.

Genitive • adjective denoting a case indicating possession or close association.

• noun a word in the genitive case.

— ORIGIN from Latin genitivus casus ‘case of production or origin’, from gignere ‘beget’.

Genuflect • verb lower one’s body briefly by bending one knee to the ground in worship or as a
sign of respect.

— DERIVATIVES genuflection noun.

— ORIGIN Latin genuflectere, from genu ‘knee’ + flectere ‘to bend’.

Gerrymander • verb manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favour one
party or class.

— ORIGIN from the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts + SALAMANDER, from the
supposed similarity between a salamander and the shape of a new voting district created when he
was in office (1812), which was felt to favour his party.
Gerund • noun Grammar a verb form which functions as a noun, in English ending in -ing (e.g.
asking in do you mind my asking you?).

— ORIGIN Latin gerundum, from gerere ‘do’.

Gesticulate • verb gesture dramatically in place of or to emphasize speech.

— DERIVATIVES gesticulation noun.

— ORIGIN Latin gesticulari, from gestus ‘action’.

Giblet • noun Usually, giblets. the heart, liver, gizzard, and the like, of a fowl, often cooked separately.

— ORIGIN 1275–1325; ME < OF gibelet a stew of game; cf. F gibelotte rabbit stew

Gigolo • noun (pl. gigolos) 1 a young man paid by an older woman to be her escort or lover. 2 a
professional male dancing partner.

— ORIGIN French, formed as the masculine of gigole ‘dance hall woman’, from colloquial gigue
‘leg’.

Gimlet • noun a small T-shaped tool with a screw-tip for boring holes.

— ORIGIN Old French guimbelet ‘little drill’.

Gingival • adjective Medicine concerned with the gums.

— ORIGIN from Latin gingiva ‘gum’.

Girth • noun 1 the measurement around the middle of something, especially a person’s waist. 2 a
band attached to a saddle and fastened around a horse’s belly.

— ORIGIN Old Norse.

Glade • noun an open space in a wood or forest.

— ORIGIN of unknown origin.

Glair • noun 1 the white of an egg. 2 a glaze or size made of egg white. 3 any viscous substance like egg white.

— ORIGIN 1300–50; ME glaire < OF: white of an egg < VL *clāria; cf. L clārus clear

Globule • noun a small round particle of a substance; a drop.

— ORIGIN Latin globulus ‘little globe’.

Glory Box • noun Austral./NZ a box in which a woman stores clothes and household items in
preparation for marriage.

Glottis • noun the part of the larynx consisting of the vocal cords and the slit-like opening between
them.
 — ORIGIN Greek, from glotta, variant of glossa ‘tongue’.

Glower • verb have an angry or sullen look on one’s face; scowl.

• noun an angry or sullen look.

— ORIGIN perhaps a Scots variant of dialect glore, or from obsolete glow ‘to stare’, both possibly
Scandinavian.

Gnarled • adjective knobbly, rough, and twisted, especially with age.

— ORIGIN variant of knarled, from obsolete knarre ‘rugged rock or stone’.

Gneiss • noun a metamorphic rock with a banded or foliated structure, typically consisting of
feldspar, quartz, and mica.

— ORIGIN German, from High German gneisto ‘spark’ (because of the rock’s sheen).

Gnomic • adjective 1 in the form of short, pithy maxims or aphorisms. 2 enigmatic; ambiguous.

— DERIVATIVES gnomically adverb.

— ORIGIN from Greek gnome ‘thought, opinion’

Gob • noun informal, chiefly Brit. a person’s mouth.

— ORIGIN perhaps from Scottish Gaelic.

• noun 1 a lump or clot of a slimy or viscous substance. 2 (gobs of) N. Amer. a lot of.

• verb (gobbed, gobbing) Brit. spit.

— ORIGIN Old French gobe ‘mouthful, lump’, from gober ‘to swallow, gulp’.

Gonad • noun a bodily organ that produces gametes; a testis or ovary.

— DERIVATIVES gonadal /gonayd’l/ adjective.

— ORIGIN Latin gonades, plural of gonas, from Greek gone ‘generation, seed’.

Goog • noun Austral./NZ informal an egg.

— PHRASES (as) full as a goog very drunk.

— ORIGIN from Scottish dialect goggie, a child’s word for an egg.

Gopher • noun 1 (also pocket gopher) a burrowing American rodent with pouches on its cheeks.
2 N. Amer. informal a ground squirrel. 3 variant spelling of GOFER.

— ORIGIN perhaps from Canadian French gaufre ‘honeycomb’ (because the gopher
‘honeycombs’ the ground with its burrows).
Gormless • adjective Brit. informal stupid or slow-witted.

— DERIVATIVES gormlessly adverb gormlessness noun.

— ORIGIN from dialect gaum understanding, from an Old Norse word meaning ‘care, heed’.

Goshawk • noun a short-winged hawk resembling a large sparrowhawk.

— ORIGIN Old English, goose-hawk.

Go-slow • noun chiefly Brit. a form of industrial action in which work is delayed or slowed down.

Gossamer • noun a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders.

• adjective very fine and insubstantial.

— ORIGIN apparently from GOOSE + SUMMER, perhaps from the time of year around St Martin’s
day (11 November) when geese were eaten and gossamer is often seen.

Gourd • noun 1 the large hard-skinned fleshy fruit of a climbing or trailing plant. 2 a container
made from the hollowed and dried skin of a gourd.

— ORIGIN Old French gourde, from Latin cucurbita.

Gourmand • noun 1 a person who enjoys eating, sometimes to excess. 2 a connoisseur of good
food; a gourmet.

— ORIGIN Old French.

Gramma • noun any grass of the genus Bouteloua, of South America and western North America, as B. gracilis
(blue grama).

— ORIGIN 1820–30, Americanism; < Sp grama < L grāmina, pl. of grāmen grass

Grampus • noun (pl. grampuses) a killer whale or other cetacean of the dolphin family.

— ORIGIN alteration (by association with GRAND) of Old French grapois, from Latin crassus piscis
‘fat fish’.

Grandiloquent • adjective pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner.

— DERIVATIVES grandiloquence noun grandiloquently adverb.

— ORIGIN Latin grandiloquus ‘grand-speaking’.

Grapnel • noun 1 a grappling hook. 2 a small anchor with several flukes.

— ORIGIN Old French grapon, related to GRAPE.

Grey Market • noun 1 A market where a product is bought and sold outside of the manufacturer's authorized
trading channels. 2. The unofficial trading of a company's shares, usually before they are issued in an initial public
offering (IPO).
Griddle • noun a circular iron plate that is heated and used for cooking food.

• verb cook on a griddle.

— ORIGIN Old French gredil, from Latin craticula ‘small hurdle’.

Grille • noun a grating or screen of metal bars or wires.

— ORIGIN French.

Grist • noun 1 corn that is ground to make flour. 2 malt crushed to make mash for brewing.

— PHRASES grist to the mill useful experience or knowledge.

— ORIGIN Old English, ‘grinding’.

Gristle • noun cartilage, especially when found as tough inedible tissue in meat.

— DERIVATIVES gristly adjective.

— ORIGIN Old English.

Grizzle • verb informal, chiefly Brit. (of a child) cry or whimper fretfully.

— ORIGIN of unknown origin.

Grommet • noun 1 a protective eyelet in a hole that a rope or cable passes through. 2 a tube
surgically implanted in the eardrum to drain fluid from the middle ear.

— ORIGIN originally in sense circle of rope used as a fastening: from obsolete French gourmer ‘to
curb’.

Groper • noun a person who gropes.

Grotto • noun (pl. grottoes or grottos) a small picturesque cave, especially an artificial one in a
park or garden.

— ORIGIN Italian grotta, from Greek krupte ‘vault’.

Grotty • adjective (grottier, grottiest) Brit. informal 1 unpleasant and of poor quality. 2 unwell.

— DERIVATIVES grottiness noun.

— ORIGIN from GROTESQUE.

Grouper (chiefly Austral./NZ also groper)

• noun a large heavy-bodied fish found in warm seas.

— ORIGIN Portuguese garoupa, probably from a local term in South America.

Grouse • noun (pl. same) a medium-sized game bird with a plump body and feathered legs.
 — ORIGIN perhaps related to Latin gruta or to Old French grue ‘crane’.

• verb complain pettily; grumble.

• noun a grumble or complaint.

— ORIGIN of unknown origin.

Gruel • noun a thin liquid food of oatmeal or other meal boiled in milk or water.

— ORIGIN Old French.

Guff • noun 1 informal trivial or worthless talk or ideas. 2 Scottish an unpleasant smell.

— ORIGIN imitative.

Guffaw • noun a loud and boisterous laugh.

• verb laugh in such a way.

— ORIGIN imitative.

Gullet • noun the passage by which food passes from the mouth to the stomach; the oesophagus.

— ORIGIN Old French goulet ‘little throat’.

Gumption • noun informal shrewd initiative and resourcefulness.

Gunboat Diplomacy • noun foreign policy supported by the use or threat of military force.

Gunny • noun plural nies a strong, coarse material made commonly from jute, esp. for bags or sacks; burlap.

— ORIGIN 1705–15; < Hindi gonī < Skt: sack, perh. orig. of hide; cf. GAUR

Gunwale • noun the upper edge or planking of the side of a boat.

— PHRASES to the gunwales informal so as to be almost overflowing.

— ORIGIN from GUN + WALE (because it was formerly used to support guns).

Gunyah • noun Austral. an Aboriginal bush hut.

— ORIGIN from an Aboriginal word.

Gusset • noun 1 a piece of material sewn into a garment to strengthen or enlarge a part of it, e.g.
the crotch of an undergarment. 2 a bracket strengthening an angle of a structure.

— ORIGIN Old French gousset ‘small pod or shell’.

Guttural • adjective 1 (of a speech sound) produced in the throat. 2 (of speech) characterized by
guttural sounds.
 • noun a guttural consonant (e.g. k, g).

— DERIVATIVES gutturally adverb.

— ORIGIN Latin gutturalis, from guttur ‘throat’.

Gymkhana • noun an event comprising competitions on horseback, typically for children.

— ORIGIN Urdu, ‘racket court’.

Gyp • noun Brit. informal pain or discomfort.

— ORIGIN perhaps from gee-up (see GEE)

• verb (gypped, gypping) cheat or swindle.

• noun a swindle.

— ORIGIN of unknown origin.

Gyroscope • noun a device, used to provide stability or maintain a fixed orientation, consisting of
a wheel or disc spinning rapidly about an axis which is itself free to alter in direction.

— DERIVATIVES gyroscopic adjective.