English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

gaucho

noun

A skilled horseman and cattle-herder of the South American grasslands, especially Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.

gaud

noun

A cheap, flashy piece of jewellery or ornament.

gaudery

noun

Fine clothes or decorations worn to look impressive.

gaudiness

noun

The quality of looking too brightly or excessively decorated in a way that seems tasteless.

gaudy

adj

Showy or overdecorated to the point of looking cheap or tasteless.

gauge

verb

To measure something precisely, especially using a dedicated instrument.

gauging

noun

The act of measuring or judging something, especially with an instrument.

Gauguin

name

A French surname, notably borne by the Post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin.

Gaul

noun

A native of the ancient region of Gaul, or, poetically, a Frenchman.

gault

noun

A stiff, bluish clay used especially in brickmaking.

Gauna

name

A surname of Basque origin, tied to a particular place, that later spread through Spanish-speaking families.

gaunt

adj

Unhealthily thin, especially with a hollow, drawn look from hunger, illness, or exhaustion.

gauntlet

noun

A heavy protective glove, historically part of a suit of armour, traditionally thrown down as a challenge to fight (as in "throw down the gauntlet").

Gaurav

name

A male first name, popular in India, that comes from a Sanskrit word for dignity or pride.

Gauri

name

A Hindu goddess, often identified with a fair or radiant form of the goddess Parvati.

gauss

noun

A unit of magnetic field strength in the older CGS system of measurement.

Gaussian

adj

Relating to Carl Friedrich Gauss or, especially, to the bell-shaped "normal" statistical distribution named after him.

Gautam

name

A male first name from Sanskrit, also the surname of the historical Buddha.

gauze

verb

To cover or dress a wound with gauze, or to make something look thin and hazy like gauze fabric.

gauzy

adj

Thin, light and see-through, like gauze fabric.

Gav

name

A casual short form of the name Gavin.

gave

verb

Past tense of give: handed over, provided or transferred something to someone.

gavel

noun

A small ceremonial mallet used by a judge, chairperson, or auctioneer to call for order or to confirm a decision.

gavelkind

noun

A historical system of inheritance, used in Kent and in Ireland, in which a person's land passed equally to all his sons when he died without a will.

Gavin

name

A male first name with Celtic roots, popular across English-speaking countries.

Gaviria

name

A surname of Basque origin, common in Spanish-speaking countries.

gaw

name

A surname of Scottish Gaelic origin.

Gawain

name

One of the most celebrated knights of the Round Table, and King Arthur's nephew, in medieval legend.

gawk

verb

To stare at something openly and stupidly, often out of surprise or rudeness.

gawp

verb

To look at something for a long time in a silly or rude way.

Gay

adj

Homosexual; romantically or sexually attracted to people of the same sex.

Gaya

name

An ancient confederation of small kingdoms in what is now southern Korea, active roughly between the 1st and 6th centuries.

Gayatri

name

A classical Sanskrit poetic metre built from short lines of eight syllables, best known from the Gayatri Mantra.

gaycism

noun

(informal) Racist attitudes or behaviour coming from a gay person or from the gay community.

gaydar

noun

The informal, supposed ability to tell whether someone is gay based on subtle cues in their appearance or behaviour.

Gaye

name

A surname, and also a man's or woman's first name, that started out as a nickname.

gayer

adj

Comparative form of "gay," meaning more cheerful or more brightly colored (dated sense).

gayful

adj

Cheerful and full of fun; merry.

gayfulness

noun

The quality of being cheerful and full of fun.

Gayle

name

A female given name, a fanciful spelling of Gail, shortened form of Abigail.

Gaylord

name

An American surname, and a once-popular boy's first name derived from it, common up to the 1960s.

gayly

adv

In a cheerful, happy way.

gayness

noun

Brightness or showiness in appearance; a festive look.

Gaynor

name

A female first name from Welsh, a variant of Guinevere, popular in Britain during the 1960s and 70s.

Gays

name

A surname.

gaytheist

noun

A person who is gay and does not believe in God.

Gaz

name

A casual nickname for someone named Gareth or Gary, mostly used in the UK.

Gaza

name

A historical African empire and the Nguni ethnic group linked to it, in what is now southern Mozambique and nearby areas.

gaze

verb

To look at something steadily and for a long time, often in wonder, admiration, or deep thought.

gazebo

noun

A freestanding roofed structure, typically open-sided, built in a garden or park for shade or a scenic view.

gazelle

noun

A small, slender, fast-running antelope found mainly in Africa and Asia.

gazette

noun

A newspaper, especially one that comes out regularly.

gazetteer

noun

A writer for a newspaper, especially one employed by a government.

gazillion

noun

An enormous, deliberately vague number, used informally rather than as an exact figure.

gazing

noun

The act of looking at something steadily and for a long time.

gazpacho

noun

A chilled Spanish soup made from raw vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, and pepper, blended with oil and vinegar.

gazump

verb

(informal) To cheat someone out of money, often by extortion.

GC

abbreviation

Group chat: a messaging thread shared by three or more people.

ge

noun

The name of the Cyrillic letter Г, г, used in Russian and other Slavic languages.

gear

noun

Equipment or clothing needed for a particular activity.

gear up

phrasal verb

To get ready for something demanding that is about to happen, or to get other people or an organisation ready for it.

gearbox

noun

The enclosed unit in a vehicle that houses the gears and connects to the gear lever.

geared

adj

Fitted with, or connected through, a system of gears.

gearing

noun

The set of gears in a machine, or the ratio between them.

gearset

noun

A group of gears working together, for example in a car or a bicycle.

Geary

name

A surname with several separate origins across Irish, English, and German family lines.

geason

adj

(archaic) Not often found; rare.

geck

verb

(archaic) To mock someone or treat them with scorn.

gecko

noun

A small lizard, often nocturnal, known for its large eyes and its ability to climb smooth vertical surfaces.

ged

noun

A dialect word for the pike, a freshwater fish.

Geddes

name

A Scottish surname, also used as a place name in Scotland and North America.

gee

intj

An exclamation of surprise, frustration, or mild emphasis.

geebag

noun

(informal) Someone who is annoying or unpleasant.

geek

noun

A person deeply and enthusiastically interested in a particular subject, often technology, science fiction, or games.

geeked

adj

(informal) Feeling the effects of a stimulant drug.

geeky

adj

Having the interests or manner typical of a geek.

geet

adj

Informal slang for "great."

Geeta

name

A female given name of South Asian origin, a variant of Gita.

geez

intj

An exclamation of surprise, frustration, or exasperation.

geezer

noun

An old man, especially one seen as eccentric or cranky.

gehenna

noun

An alternative letter-case form of Gehenna.

Gehrig

name

A German-derived surname, notably borne by baseball player Lou Gehrig.

Geiger

name

A German surname, familiar to English speakers mainly through the Geiger counter, the radiation-detecting device named after physicist Hans Geiger.

geisha

noun

A Japanese woman trained as a professional entertainer, skilled in traditional arts such as music, dance, and conversation.

gel

noun

A soft, semi-solid substance somewhere between a liquid and a solid, such as hair gel or a jelly-like material.

gelastic

adj

To do with laughter: relating to it, involved in the act of laughing, or being what is laughed at.

gelatin

noun

A flavorless protein made by boiling down animal collagen, used to thicken or set foods.

gelatinous

adj

Relating to gelatin.

gelato

noun

An Italian-style frozen dessert similar to ice cream but denser and typically lower in fat.

gelcap

noun

A pill in which the medicine sits inside a soft capsule made of gelatin.

geld

noun

In particular, (money paid as) a medieval form of land tax.

gelding

noun

A castrated male horse.

gelid

adj

Extremely cold, like ice.

gelignite

noun

A powerful explosive made from nitroglycerine and nitrate soaked into wood pulp.

Gellar

name

A surname of German or Yiddish origin.

Geller

name

A surname of German or Yiddish origin.

gelotology

noun

The study of laughter and humour and how they affect the body.

gelt

noun

(archaic) Money paid as tax or tribute.

gem

noun

A precious or semi-precious stone, especially one cut and polished for jewelry.

Gemini

name

A constellation and zodiac sign representing twins, associated with the period from late May to late June.

gemma

noun

A small bud-like structure some plants and simple animals use to reproduce asexually.

gemmation

noun

Reproduction without sex, by forming small buds called gemmae.

gemstone

noun

A mineral or stone that has been cut and polished for use in jewelry.

Gen

noun

Informal British slang for information or facts.

gena

noun

In zoology, the cheek area of an animal's head, or the corresponding part of an insect's head near the jaw.

gendarme

noun

A member of a military force assigned to police duties, especially in France.

gendarmerie

noun

A military force responsible for policing the civilian population, especially in France and similar countries.

gender

noun

The state of being male, female, or another identity, often understood as bound up with social roles and personal identity, distinct from biological sex.

gender fluid

adjective

Having a gender identity that is not fixed but shifts over time, so that a person may feel more male at some times, more female at others, both, or neither.

gender neutral

adjective

Designed or worded so as not to be associated with, or to favour, either men or women.

gendered

adj

(grammar) Marked for grammatical gender.

genderfluid

adjective

Having a gender identity that changes rather than staying fixed, so that a person may feel male, female, both or neither at different times.

genderism

noun

The view that gender is fixed, usually meaning only male and female, and that it comes directly from a person's sex at birth.

genderless

adj

Having no gender.

genderqueer

adj

Describing someone whose gender identity is neither simply male nor female, and does not fit the usual two-gender system.

Genders

name

A surname derived from an old French word for "son-in-law."

gendersex

noun

Sex or gender: the classification of organisms as male, female or other categories, based on sexual or social traits.

gene

noun

A segment of DNA that carries the instructions for a particular inherited trait.

genealogical

adj

Connected with genealogy, the study of family history and ancestry.

genealogist

noun

A person who studies or traces family history and ancestry.

genealogy

noun

A person's or family's line of descent traced back through their ancestors.

general

adj

Applying to or covering a whole group rather than one specific part; overall.

generalisation

noun

A general idea or rule formed by looking at particular examples and picking out what they have in common.

generalise

verb

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of generalize.

generalissimo

noun

The supreme commander of a country's armed forces, especially one who also runs the government.

generalist

noun

Someone who knows a fair amount about many different subjects, rather than being an expert in just one, and can bring together ideas from different fields.

generalization

noun

The act of applying something that is true of part of a group to the whole group.

generalize

verb

To talk about something in broad, vague terms, without going into detail.

generally

adv

Usually or in most cases; as a rule.

generalship

noun

The rank or role of being a military general.

generate

verb

To produce or create something, especially as an effect or output.

generated

adjective

Produced automatically by a machine, program or algorithm rather than made by a person.

generation

noun

All the people born and living at around the same time, seen as a group.

generative

adj

Able to create, produce or bring about something new.

generator

noun

A machine that converts mechanical energy or fuel into electricity.

generic

adj

Applying broadly to a whole class or category rather than one specific item; not brand-specific.

generosity

noun

Willingness to give freely, whether money, time, or help, without expecting anything back.

generous

adj

Willing to give more than is expected or required, especially money, time, or help.

generously

adv

In a way that gives freely or more than expected.

genesis

noun

The origin or beginning of something.

genetic

adj

Relating to genes or heredity.

genetically

adv

In a way that relates to genes or heredity.

geneticist

noun

A scientist who studies genes and heredity.

genetics

noun

The branch of biology concerned with genes, heredity, and variation between organisms.

Geneva

name

The city in Switzerland that serves as the capital of Geneva canton and hosts many international organisations.

Genevieve

name

A female first name from French, borne by the patron saint of Paris.

Genghis

name

Used to refer to Genghis Khan, the 13th-century founder and first ruler of the Mongol Empire.

genial

adj

Friendly, warm, and pleasant in manner.

geniality

noun

A warm, friendly and cheerful manner.

genially

adv

In a warm, friendly and cheerful way.