WORDCRAFT DICTIONARY, G-K
Note:
clickable items link to Wordcraft Archives, which may have further notes
gabion riprap [i.e., loose stone] enclosed in a mesh cage, for
modular use to hold a riverbank, a retaining wall, etc. (see illustration
#1 and illustation#2).
This use of "gabion" has not yet entered the dictionaries.
gaffer 1. an old man or a
rustic (term of familiarty or contempt for old man in humble state) 2. a
boss or foreman
gaffing slang: swindling;
rigging so as to cheat (Note: has been used in major press to mean "making
a major blunder": his diplomatic gaffing also has gotten him into
trouble.)
gaggle a flock (of
geese); also derisively, a company (of women)
galimatias confused language, meaningless
talk, nonsense; hence also, a mixture, medley
gall 1.
to scoff, jeer 2. to fret, vex: to be galled by sarcasm 3. to
injure, harass, annoy ['gall' has further meanings as well.]
gallimaufry an absurd
medley; a hodgepodge
gallinaceous of or like chickens,
pheasants, turkeys, and grouse; also, of or like domestic fowl
gallligaskins loose trousers
galoopus bird
mythical bird of southwest
galvanize eponym: stimulate to
action, as if by electric shock
gambado a
capering, leaping or gamboling movement
gambit 1.
an action or remark calculated to gain an advantage; a maneuver or ploy 2.
a remark made to open a conversation [term evolved from the game of chess]
gamboge a strong yellow color (some say strong reddish yellow)
gambol to
dance and skip about in play; to frolic.
gambrinous full of beer
game plan a strategy for achieving an
objective (from
gamelan traditional instrumental
ensemble in Java and
gamin; gamine 1.
a street urchin [boy gamin; girl gamine], tyically clever and
roguish 2. either 'gamine' or 'gamine': a playfully
mischievous girl or woman of impish appeal
gammer an elderly woman
gammerstang a
tall, awkward woman. (Sometimes you'll find this lovely word defined with
further shades of meaning, such as "with bad manners" or "with
bad morals".)
gamp eponym;
chiefly British: a large baggy umbrella (some sources add also: a midwife)
ganache a rich
icing of melted chocolate and whipping cream, heated and stirred together
gandermooner a husband who
strays each month, during the "time of month" when his wife is
"unavailable"
Garand eponym: a semi-automatic rifle (better known as the
M-1) used by
garbology the study of a cultural group by its
waste materials
gargantuan eponym: of immense
size; gigantic
gargoyle
(etymology) gargoyle figures on churches served waterspouts to discharge
rainwater. The word gargoyle traces from the same French root as gargle
and gurgle.
garibaldi eponym: a type of
womans blouse
gauche socially clumsy or tactless (French for 'left', opposite of 'right')
gaucy fat and comely (a compliment and
insult rolled into one; see fussock)
gavial a
crocodile-like animal of northern
gazetteer a geographical index
or dictionary
gearhead a car enthusiast (per Shorter
OED).
M-W says, "a person who engages in technical or technological
pursuits." Wordcrafter agrees with OED adding that 'gearhead' includes a
motorcycle or bicycle enthusiast, and is also being picked up in the computer
industry.)
gearhead: a car enthusiast
geekfest a gathering of geeks, especially one devoted to
technical discussions
gemel (g
pronounced as in gemini) paired or twinned (particularly in heraldry); also,
set of cruets for oil and vinegar, fused together, spouts diverging so that
either can be poured without the other
geminate consonant a consonant pronounced notably longer than the regular
consonant sound. A feature of many languages, though lacking in most (including
English)
gemόtlich warm
and congenial; pleasant or friendly (noun form gemόtlichkeit warm
friendliness; amicability)
genizah a repository for
Hebrew documents and sacred books that are no longer in use (e.g. old and
worn), but must not be destroyed
Genoa the name, of unclear origin, may be an eponym from the god Janus,
who also gave us the January.
genocide a word
notable for variations. Note the confusion of whether it includes targeting a
religious group or a political opposition.
Genocide is the attempt to exterminate:
an entire national, racial, political, or ethnic group (AHD); or
a racial, political, or cultural group (Merr.-Webster); or
a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group. (encyclopedia.com); or
a racial, religious, political, or ethnic group. (britanica.com)
This equivocation traces back to the original United
Nations "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide" of
genotype the genetic makeup. (contrast
phenotype)
geophyte general term for the bulb (corm, tuber, or rhizome) , etc.
from which certain plants grow. A bulb is layered inside, with a
georgette eponym: a sheer silk
clothing fabric with a dull, creped surface.
geotropic growing in response to
gravity, as the downward growth of plant roots
gerb a firework that throws out a shower of sparks. [French gerb
sheaf of corn (wheat?)]
gerrymander eponym:
to divide political unit into voting districts in unnatural and unfair way so
as to give one side an advantage; also, a district so created
gestalt an organized whole that
is perceived as more than the sum of its parts
get
one's goat to anger; to annoy; to irritate
gezellig (Dutch) cozy, in the sense of being with
people; comfortable congeniality; homey, relaxed feeling with people feels a
sense of "belonging"
ghee clarified butter
ghetto a part of a city in which a group is isolated (esp. a
poor part, with confinement by social, legal, or economic pressure). fig:
a similarly isolating situaton (esp. one of poor status or poor
opportunity)
ghit google hit
ghost
word a non-word that is presented as being a
word, in a dictionary or other work on words, due to the author's error
giaour an infidel; a
non-Muslim, esp. a Christian
gibbet a gallows
(technically, of slightly different construction)
gibson girl eponym: idealized
1890s American young woman; also, style of her clothing characterized
by high necks, full sleeves, wasp waists
giclιe a high-quality
copy of a painting, etc., made by digital scanning and ink-jet printing onto
canvas or archival paper
giggle a group of girls
or other silly females
GIGO the principle, "Garbage
In, Garbage Out". In other words, if the inputs are nonsense, the results
will be nonsense.
gill (pronounced jill) a quarter
pint
gillygaloo
mythical bird of the remote forests of
girn* to complain in a whining
voice; also, to contort one's face; grimace
glabella the space between the
eyebrows, just above the nose
glabrous
without hair (A reader notes: glabrous means "hairless",
"smooth". You wouldn't usually describe someone as glabrous when you
mean "without any hair on his head"; you'd use "bald".)
gladiate
sword-shaped (see ensiform, xiphoid)
glasnost a
Soviet policy permitting open discussion of political and social issues and
freer dissemination of news and information (I suggest that the word can be
used for a like policy elswhere.)
glaucous of a
pale yellow-green color; of a light bluish gray or bluish white color. Note:
obviously, these definitions conflict. See Wordcraft archive
for discussion.
gleek to
make sport; to gibe; to sneer (noun: a jest or scoff; a trick or
deception); also, to spend time idly
glider AHD's definition ("a
light engineless aircraft designed to glide after being towed aloft or launched
from a catapult") is imprecise, since some gliders are towed behind
airplanes. The proper term for this definition is sailplane. Interestingly,
though, often news accounts speak of a "motorized glider". It might
be more accurate to define sailplane as "an aircraft capable of sustained
flight by the use only of rising air currents", even if it also has an
engine.
glister an old form of clyster,
which see
glitterati highly fashionable
celebrities; the smart set
glory colored
diffraction rings around the point opposite the sun (anti-solar point);
i.e. where the shadow of the observer's head is
glory hole an opening in the wall of a glass furnace, exposing the
brilliant white light of the interior
glottal produced in the glottis:
the vocal chords and the slit between them
glox the sound of liquids when shaken in a barrel [obsolete;
from The Word Museum by J. Kacirk]
gloze to minimize or underplay;
gloss: glozed over the embarrassing part
gnomic in the form of
short, pithy maxims or aphorisms but with a sense of enigmatic; ambiguous [gnome
a pithy saying that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle; an
aphorism]
gnomon the
style or pin on a sundial, which by its shadow shows the hour of the day
goatee (etymology) so named for its
resemblance to the beard of a goat
goatee (etymology) so named for its
resemblance to the beard of a goat
gobemouche a
silly and credulous person; one who will swallow anything you tell him
gobshite vulgar
slang, chiefly Irish: a stupid or incompetent person [a general-purpose
insult]
godemiche a dildo
goldbrick a shirker: someone, esp. a soldier, who avoids assigned
duties. Can also be used as a verb (also, something that appears
valuable but is actually worthless)
goldilocks eponym: a person with
golden hair
Goldilocks
economy an economy that is not so overheated that
it causes inflation, and not so cool that it causes a recession
goldings another variety of English
hop
golem Jewish folklore: an
artificially created human, given life by supernatural power
goliath or Goliath eponym: a giant; a person
or thing of collosal size or power
golliwog eponym: a grotesque
black doll; grotesque person
golum one
who is a simpleton; or clumsy, all thumbs; or graceless, tactless; or subnormal
gonfalon a pennant
goody two-shoes eponym: one who
is affectedly good and proper, just a bit too good and proper
goofang
mythical
goofus bird
mythical bird which, wishing to know where it's been, flies backwards. It also prefers
to sleep upside down, so it builds its nest upside down, shaped something like
an igloo with the hole underneath. No one is sure why the eggs don't fall out.
compare goofang, sandhill pearch
google bomb* to push a web site high in a
list of Google search results, by setting up a large number of pages with
links to that site
google words: to google
search on the Google search engine. googlespeak the lexicon of google
terms. vanity googler one who googles his own name, to see what others
will find when they google him or her, assuming that he or she rates being
googled. revenge googling online dissing of a former beau after a
relationship gone bad. ungoogle to try to combat revenge googling. google
bomb to push a Web site high in a list of Google search results. googlewhacking
a quirky online word game using the search engine.
google* originally the search engine
was called 'Googol'. An angel investor, however made a check out to
'Google'. The developers, after some thought, decided to open an account
in the name 'Google'.
goon
[etymology] a thug hired to intimidate or harm opponents, particulary as a
strikebreaker; also, a stupid or oafish person [from the Popeye comics?]
goose egg zero,
nothing; esp.: a score of zero in a game or contest (Wordcrafter note: I
would add that the term, in non-baseball use, implies zero results despite
effort.)
Gordian Knot eponym: an intricate problem,
usu. one insoluble in its own terms
gorgon eponym: an ugly or
repulsive woman
gormless stupid or ineffectual; taken up
with frivolous issues
gorp a mixture of high-energy
foods, such as nuts and dried fruit, eaten as a snack [origin by acronym for
"Good Old Raisins and Peanuts"?]
gossamer noun: 1.
a film of cobwebs floating in air in calm clear weather; 2. something
light, delicate, or insubstantial: the gossamer of youth's dreams.
adjective: extremely light, delicate, or tenuous
gossip an interesting
etymology. Originally meant 'godparent' (from God, + sibb =
'relative'). From there the term was extended to mean 'familiar
acquaintance'; then to 'one engaging in familiar, idle talk'; then to 'trifling
talk, groundless rumor'.
gossoon a
young boy (Irish; informal)
Gotham a
common sobriquet for
gourmandize to overeat or eat
immodestly; make a pig of oneself
gowithy; gold-withy sheep laurel (kalmia angustifolia),
or other similar low shrubs
gowpen a double handful (two hands
together, as in the "You're in good hands with Allstate" ad)
graben a rift valley; a depression between geologic faults [German
'trench'] (compare horst)
gracile
[gracillent] gracefully slender
Gradgrind eponym:
one interested only in cold, hard facts
gramercy
(interj.; obsolete) used to express 1. thankfulness 2. surprise (as
in 'mercy me!"). Various spellings.
grammalogue a word
shown as a sign, such as & for "and"
grammaticaster a
piddling, petty, pedantic grammarian
grand marnier eponym: an
orange-flavored French liqueur
grandfather clock a
weight-and-pendulum clock in a tall free-standing wooden case
grandiloquence a lofty,
extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, especially in language
grandstanding performing
ostentatiously to impress an audience
granger a farmer
Grangerize eponym: to illustrate (a book) by adding
prints, etc., especially ones cut out of other books; to
mutilate so a book
granita an
Italian dessert made by freezing water, sugar, and a liquid flavoring
grapefruit [bizarre
etymology] name is odd (since fruit is in no way grape-like), and may come
from slurred speech
graticule a network of fine lines as a measuring scale or to locate
objects, as on an oscilloscope screen, or to facilitate re-scaling to another
size. (Also, the crosshairs in a rifle scope.) geography: the
latitude/longitude grid (would not be used for others, such as a street grid)
gratin the thin crust atop certain cooked foods; also by
transfer, the 'upper crust' of society
graupel granular snow pellets; also called soft hail [The 'au'
is pronounced like the 'ow' in 'howl'.]
graveolent having a rank smell
gravitas a
serious or solemn demeanor; weighty dignity; staidness and sobriety
green card US, but
migrating to the
green
manure a cover crop
planted in the fall to protect the soil from wind and rain erosion during
winter and to enrich the soil when it is plowed under in the spring
greenback a piece of
greenroom a waiting room or
lounge for the performers, when they are offstage
Greshams law eponym: the tendency of inferior
products or practices to drive out superior ones (also here)
gridelin grayish violet
grilse a salmon that has
returned to fresh water after a single winter at sea
grimthorpe eponym:
to restore an old building badly, with lavish expenditure but without skill, taste
or regard to historic character
grinch a spoilsport or killjoy
grog eponym: rum cut with
water (leading to groggy)
grok geek-slang: to
understand completely (Coined by science fiction writer Robert A.
Heinlein in his Stranger in a Strange Land)
grommet a
reinforced eyelet, as in cloth or leather
gronk lint between the toes [query the
accuracy of this]
grouchings beer sediment
ground
burst a low level burst of a fireworks shell;
potentially very dangerous
grounded deeply or strongly founded; firmly
fixed or established; resting upon a good basis. Chiefly fig. of
immaterial well-, ill-grounded
growler informal: a container,
such as a pail or pitcher, that is used for carrying beer
grundyism; Mrs. Grundy eponym:
an extremely conventional or priggish person
gruntled pleased, satisfied, contented. [The precise opposite of its
original meaning.]
guano dung of sea birds or bats,
accumulated along certain coastal areas or in caves, and used as fertilizer;
alsosimilar substances, such as fertilizer prepared from ground fish parts
guardant heraldry: looking out
at the viewer full face as opposed to in profile. See rampant, dormant, saliant for
other heraldic terms.
guerdon
reward, recompense (noun and verb)
guerilla (etymology) from Sp. for
"little war"
guillemets the
marks « and »
guilloche an
ornament in the form of two or more bands or strings twisted over each other in
a continued series, leaving circular openings which are filled with round
ornaments
guillotine
[eponym] a type of machine for beheading; also, a device (as a paper
cutter) of similar action
guinea 1. offensive slang:
a person of Italian descent 2. money: the sum of one pound
and one shilling
gula the
upper part of the throat; the front part of the neck (gular pertaining
to the gula or throat)
gulag a
forced labor camp or prison, esp. for political dissidents; a simlar
place or situation of great suffering and hardship
gular pertaing to the throat
gulosity
greediness; excessive appetite
gumshoe slang:
a detective
gunsel [bizarre
etymology] a gunman in the criminal world [from a sly trick that Dashiell
Hammett put over on his editor]
Gunter's scale eponym: a wooden rule, marked with
scales of trigonometric functions and logarithms, to solve mechanically
problems in surveying and navigation
gunwale the upper edge or planking of the side of a boat. (to the
gunwales informal so as to be almost overflowing)
gustable 1. capable
of being tasted 2. pleasant to the taste; toothsome
guttle to eat greedily
and voraciously (noun guttler one who guttles; a glutton)
gynander a mannish woman
gynoticolobomassophile* a
person who enjoys nibbling on the earlobes of women (note: it having been noted
that nuchal = 'of the nape of the neck', one of our female members commented
that she would love to find a gynonuchalmassophile)
gyve noun:
a shackle or fetter, esp. for the leg. verb: to shackle or fetter
hαček the inverted caret above consonant, as in čň. also
called a caron
hadal (as in "Hades") of ocean depths below 6000 meters
haggis Scottish: a dish made
by boiling sheep's viscera with onions, oatmeal etc. in the sheep's stomach
hagiography a biography
of saints; hence, a worshipful or idealizing biography
hagira an exodus or
departure
Hail Mary pass from
US football: a desperate, last-minute attempt to save a losing situation
haku a crown made of fresh flowers
halakah the body of Jewish law supplementing scriptures
halcyon calm;
quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy (often used in the phrase halcyon days).
Traces back to belifefs of the ancient Greeks about the kingfisher bird, halkyo.
halibut (etymology) literally "holy
fish"; eaten on holy days
halitosis coinage: bad breath
hallucal of or pertaining to the big toe
hallux the big toe (adj. hallucal)
hamster wheel a small treadwheel
on which a hamster can run endlessly to get exercise; also fig.,
connoting pointless activity
hands
down easy; easily
handsel a gift
as a token of good luck, such as one upon a graduation, new year, wedding or
opening-of-business. Also, the first money taken in at a shop.
hansom a two-wheeled horse-drawn cab, with the driver seated behind
haole sometimes disparaging: a white person
hapax a word that occurs only once
in the written body of a language. (short for hapax legomenon; pl.
hapax legomena) See inkhorn
haplography a copyist's
unintentional writing of letter(s) or word(s) once, when they should be
repeated
hardscrabble
earning a bare or meager living with great labor or difficulty
harlequin eponym: a clown-like
pattern of brightly diamond shapes; or, of many colors
harp the
metal bar running above and alongside over the bulb of a lamp, to hold the
lampshade
harpy 1. a
grasping, unscrupulous woman 2. a shrewish woman
harridan a bossy or belligerent
woman, scolding and vicious; typically an old one (also here)
hart a male
haruspex a
priest in ancient
hassock originally: a compact tuft especially of
grass or sedge (also known as a tussock); later: a cushion for kneeling, esp. at church; later: a padded cushion or low stool
that serves as a seat or leg rest
hat trick three goals or
other major achievement by player in a sport; hence occasionally, a
threefold feat in other activities [originally from cricket; common in football
(soccer) and in ice hockey]
havelock eponym: a covering on
a cap to protect the back of the neck
haversack a small, stout bag carried on the back or over the
shoulder
Hawthorne
effect production increased not as a consequence of actual
changes in working conditions introduced by the plant's management, but because
management demonstrated interest in such improvements
heat
island an urban area where the temperature is
consistently higher than in the surrounding region
hebdomadal weekly;
occurring every seven days
hebetic
occurring at puberty (not to be confused with hebetude)
hebetude mental
dullness; lethargy (adj: hebetudinous; hebate. verb: hebetate
to stupefy; to make dull) (not to be confused with hebetic)
hector eponym:
to intimidate by blustering; to behave like a bully, swagger
hegemony
[accent on either 1st or 2nd syllable] preponderant influence or authority;
leadership; domination (usu. applied to such domination of a state over
its neighbors or allies). (also discussed here)
heiligenschein [German for "holy light] a white
halo of diffuse brightness surrounding the shadow of an object, often a
person's head
Heilsgeschichte sacred history, spec. the history of God's saving work among
men; history seen as the working out of God's salvation
heisenbug
computer programming (software): a software bug that disappers or behaves
differently when you try to examine or fix it. For example, the use of a
debugger sometimes alters a program's operating environment significantly, and
thus change the bug's behavior. (contrast Bohr bug, mandelbug, schroedinbug)
helminthology the study of worms, especially intestinal worms
helpmate (etymology)
hemidemisemiquaver music: a 64th
note
hemocyanin a bluish,
copper-containing protein with an oxygen-carrying function similar to that of
hemoglobin
herculean eponym: of
extraordinary power, size, or difficulty
heretic
(etymology) ult. from Gk. hairetikos "able to choose." At
least one source says it originally referred to early Christians who, when the
Gospels were first compiled, chose not to abandon other accounts of Jesus.
hermaphrodite eponym:
a plant or animal having both male and female reproductive organs naturally [e.g.,
earthworm] or by anomaly [e.g., human]; generalized, something that
is a combination of disparate or contradictory elements.
hermetic eponym: recondite.
Also: [from belief he invented a magic seal] airtight, or impervious to
external influence
hesternal
pertaining to yesterday
heterodyne to combine (radio
waves) to produce a new frequency equal to the sum or difference of the two
heterological (of a word) self
non-descriptive; e.g., 'long' is not a long word. (contrast autological)
heteronyms words spelled the same but pronounced differently; e.g.,
august/August
heteronyms words with the same spellings but different sounds and
meanings (to bow low; a bow tie). [compare homonym,
homograph]
heyday the period of ones greatest success, activity, or vigor.
[alteration of heyda,exclamation of playfulness or surprise, (like hurrah),
apparently an extended form of interjection hey]
hibernal
characteristic of or relating to winter
higgledy-piggledy in
utter disorder or confusion
high jinks boisterous fun
hind a female
hinny cross between a stallion and
a jenny-ass (contrast mule: the cross between a jackass [male] and a mare
[female])
hippodrome an arena for horse shows.
(slang: a fraudulent contest with a predetermined winner)*
hippopotamus (etymology) from Greek for
"horse of the river"
hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian
extremely sesquipedalian (q.v.)
hiragana a set of symbols used in
writing Japanese
hircine smelling like a
goat
hirrient of a
sound: heavily trilling
hirsute covered with
abundant hair
historiography the
study of writings and interpretations of history.
histrionic theatrical in
style; 'stagey'; hence histrionics exaggerated emotional
behavior calculated for manipulative effect (also here)
hite see squeans
hobbledehoy a
gawky adolescent boy
Hobson's choice an
apparently free choice which is really not free, because when there is no real
alternative
hodag a
mythical beast given to weeping because of its extreme ugliness
hodgepodge (N. Amer.) or
hotchpotch a confused mixture
hogback a long steep hill or mountain ridge
hoi polloi the
common people generally; the masses
holey
dollar donut-shaped coin
created in Colonial Australia by punching out the middle of a spanish dollar
coin; the punched-out middle piece was called the dump (see coins and
currency)
hominid modern
man, or any other member (now extinct) of the biological family hominidae.
Hominids descend from the last common ancestor of man and modern apes
homogr
