A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

gaze --- c.1386, of Scand. origin (cf. Norw., Sw. dial. gasa "to gape"), related somehow to O.N. ga "heed."

gazebo --- 1752, supposedly a facetious formation from gaze + -bo, L. first pers. sing. future tense suffix (cf. videbo "I shall see"), on model of earlier belvedere "cupola," from It. bello verde "handsome sight." But most likely a corruption of some oriental word.

gazelle --- 1600, from Fr. gazelle, from N.African pronunciation of Arabic ghazal.

gazette --- newspaper, 1605, from Fr. gazette, from It. gazzetta, Venetian dial. gazeta "newspaper," originally the name of a small copper coin, lit. "little magpie," from gazza; applied to the monthly newspaper published in Venice by the government mid-1500s, either from its price or its association with the bird (typical of false chatter), or both. First used in Eng. 1665 for the paper issued at Oxford, whither the court had fled from the plague. Gazetteer "geographical dictionary" is from Laurence Eachard's 1693 geographical handbook for journalists, "The Gazetteer's, or Newsman's, Interpreter," second edition simply titled "The Gazetteer."

gear --- c.1205, "equipment," from O.N. gervi "apparel," related to gerr "ready," and gerva "make ready," from P.Gmc. *garwin- (cf. O.E. gearwe; O.H.G. garawi "clothing, dress," garawen "to make ready;" Ger. gerben "to tan"), from PIE *garw-. Meaning of "toothed wheel in machinery" first attested 1523. Slang for "male sex organs" from 1675. British slang sense of "stylish, excellent" first recorded 1951, from earlier that's the gear, expression of approval, 1925.

gecko --- 1774, from Malay gekoq, imitative of its cry.

gee --- exclamation of surprise, 1895, euphemistic for Jesus. Form gee whiz is attested from 1885.

geek --- sideshow freak, 1916, U.S. carnival and circus slang, perhaps a variant of geck "a fool, dupe, simpleton" (1515), apparently from Low Ger. geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Gmc. and Scand. meaning "to croak, cackle," and also "to mock, cheat." The modern form and the popular use with ref. to circus sideshow "wild men" is from 1946, in William Lindsay Gresham's novel "Nightmare Alley" (made into a film in 1947 starring Tyrone Power).

geezer --- 1885, variant of obs. Cockney guiser "mummer" (see guise).

gefilte fish --- 1892, not a species, but fish loaf made from various kinds of ground fish and other ingredients; the first word is from Yiddish, from Ger. gefüllte "stuffed."

gehenna --- hell, 1623, from Church L., from Gk. geenna, from Heb. Ge Hinnom "the Valley of Hinnom," southwest of Jerusalem, where, according to Jer. xix.5, children were sacrificed to Moloch.

Geiger counter --- 1924, for Ger. physicist Hans Geiger (1882-1945), who invented it with W. Müller.

geisha --- 1887, "Japanese girl whose profession is to sing and dance to entertain men;" hence, loosely, "prostitute," from Japanese, lit. "person accomplished in the social arts," from gei "art, performance" + sha "person." Cf. Athenian auletrides "flute-girls," female musicians who entertained guests at a symposium with music at the start of the party and sex at the end of it.

gel --- 1899, as a chemical term, short for gelatin, perhaps infl. by jell. The invention of this word is credited to Thomas Graham, who died in 1869. Hair-styling sense is from 1958. The verb meaning "to become a gel" is from 1917; fig. sense is from 1958.

gelatin --- 1713, from Fr. gélatine "clear jelly-like substance, fish broth," from It. gelatina, from gelata "jelly," from gelare "to jell," from L. gelare "freeze" (see jelly). Gelatinous (1724) is modeled on Fr. gélatineux.

geld (n.) --- royal tax in Medieval England, O.E. gield "payment, tribute" (cf. M.H.G. gelt "payment, contribution," Ger. geld "money," O.N. gjald "payment," Goth. gild "tribute, tax"), from PIE base of yield (q.v.).

geld (v.) --- to castrate, c.1300, from O.N. gelda "castrate," from geldr "barren," from P.Gmc. *galdu- (cf. O.H.G. galt "barren," said of a cow). The noun gelding (1296) is from O.N. geldingr.

gem --- O.E. gim, from L. gemma "precious stone, jewel," originally "bud," from the root *gen- "to produce" (see genus).

gemeinschaft --- 1887, from Ger., "social relationship based on affection or kinship" (contrasted with gesellschaft), from gemein "common, general" + -schaft "-ship."

geminate --- duplicated, 1598, from L. geminatus, pp. of geminare "to double, repeat," related to geminus "twin" (cf. Gemini, c.1391, the constellation of the twins Castor and Pollux).

gendarme --- 1550, from Fr. contraction of gens d'armes "men at arms," later applied to military police. Gens is pl. of gent "nation, people," from L. gentem, acc. of gens "race, nation, people" (see genus).

gender --- c.1300, from O.Fr. gendre, from stem of L. genus (gen. generis) "kind, sort, gender," also "sex" (see genus); used to translate from Gk. Aristotle's grammatical term genos. As sex took on erotic qualities in 20c., gender came to be used for "sex of a human being," often in feminist writing with reference to social attributes as much as biological qualities; this sense first attested 1963. Gender-bender is first attested 1980, with reference to pop star David Bowie.

gene --- 1911, from Ger. Gen, coined 1905 by Dan. scientist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen (1857-1927), from Gk. genea "generation, race" (see kin). De Vries had earlier called them pangenes.

genealogy --- c.1300, from O.Fr. genealogie, from L.L. genealogia "tracing of a family," from Gk. genealogia, from genea "generation, descent" (see genus) + logos "student of."

general (adj.) --- c.1300 (implied in generally), from L. generalis "relating to all, of a whole class" (contrasted with specialis), from genus (gen. generis) "stock, kind" (see genus). Noun sense of "commander of an army" is 1576 shortening of captain general, from M.Fr. capitaine général. The title generalissimo (1621) is from It., superlative of generale, from a sense development similar to the Fr.

generation --- c.1300, "offspring of the same parent," also "body of individuals born about the same period" (usually 30 years), from L. generationem (nom. generatio), from generare "bring forth" (see genus). Generator in the sense "machine that generates power" first recorded 1794; in sense of "machine that generates electric energy," 1879. Generation gap first recorded 1967; generation x is 1991, from Douglas Coupland book of that name. The verb generate is attested from 1509; originally "to beget;" in ref. to natural forces, conditions, substances. etc., attested from 1563.

generic --- 1676, "belonging to a large group of objects," formed in Eng. from L. gener-, stem of genus "kind" (see genus). Sense of "not special, not brand-name," of groceries, etc., is from 1977.

generous --- 1588, from M.Fr. généreux (fem. généreuse), from L. generosus "of noble birth," from genus (gen. generis) "race, stock" (see genus). Originally "of noble birth," secondary senses of "unselfish" and "plentiful" were both present in Fr. and perhaps in Latin.

genesis --- O.E., from L. genesis, adopted as title of first book of Old Testament in Vulgate, from Gk. genesis "origin, creation, generation," from gignesthai "to be born," related to genos "race, birth, descent" (see genus). As such, it translated Heb. bereshith, lit. "in the beginning," which was the first word of the text, taken in error as its title. Extended sense of "origin, creation" first recorded in Eng. 1604.

genetic --- pertaining to origins, coined 1831 by Carlyle from Gk. genetikos "genitive," from genesis "origin" (see genus). Biological sense first recorded in Darwin, 1859. Genetics (patterned on ethics, etc.) is 1872 meaning "laws of origination," 1905 for "study of heredity," a coinage of Eng. biologist William Bateson (1861-1926).

Genevieve --- fem. proper name, from Fr. Geneviève, from L.L. Genovefa, probably of Celtic origin.

genial --- 1566, from L. genialis "pleasant, festive," lit. "pertaining to marriage rites," from genius "guardian spirit" (see genius). Originally used in the L. literal sense; meaning "cheerful, friendly" first recorded 1746.

genie --- 1655, "tutelary spirit," from Fr. genie, from L. genius (see genius); used in Fr. translation of "Arabian Nights" to render Arabic jinni, pl. of jinn "spirit," which it accidentally resembled, and attested in Eng. with this sense from 1748.

genital --- 1382, from L. genitalis "pertaining to generation or birth," related to Gk. genete "birth" (see genus). Plural genitals "reproductive organs" formed in Eng. 1390. Scientific pl. genitalia (1876) is from L. genitalia membra.

genitive --- 1398, from L. casus genitivus "case expressing origin," from *geneta "birth," misused by L. grammarians to render Gk. genike (ptosis) "generic (case)," expressing race or kind (see genus).

genius --- 1390, from L. genius "guardian deity or spirit which watches over each person from birth; spirit, incarnation, wit, talent," from root of gignere "beget, produce" (see kin), from PIE base *gen- "produce." Meaning "person of natural intelligence or talent" first recorded 1649.

genocide --- 1944, apparently coined by Polish-born U.S. jurist Raphael Lemkin in his work "Axis Rule in Occupied Europe" [p.19], in reference to Nazi extermination of Jews, lit. "killing a tribe," from Gk. genos "race, kind" (see genus) + -cide, from L. -cidere "kill," comb. form of caedere "to cut, kill" (see concise). The proper formation would be *genticide.

genome --- sum total of genes in a set, 1930, from Ger. genom, coined 1920 by Ger. botanist Hans Winkler, from gen "gene" + (chromos)om "chromosome."

genre --- 1770, from Fr. genre "kind, sort, style," from O.Fr. (see gender). Used especially in Fr. for "independent style," as compared to "landscape, historical," etc.

gens --- 1847, in reference to ancient Rome, "tribe, clan," from L. gens (gen. gentis) "race, clan, nation" (see genus).

genteel --- 1599, from M.Fr. gentil "nice, graceful, pleasing," from O.Fr. "high-born, noble;" a reborrowing of the word that had early come into Eng. as gentle (q.v.).

gentian --- O.E., from L. gentiana, said by Pliny to be named for Gentius, king of ancient Illyria who discovered its properties. This is likely a folk-etymology, but the word may be Illyrian, since the suffix -an frequently occurs in Illyrian words.

gentile --- 1160, from L.L. gentilis "foreign, heathen, pagan," from L. gentilis "person belonging to the same family, fellow countryman," from gentilis (adj.) "of the same family or clan," from gens (gen. gentis) "race, clan" (see gentle). Used in Vulgate to translate Gk. ethnikos, from ta ethne "the nations," which translated Heb. ha goyim "the (non-Jewish) nations." Used during 14c. to mean both "one who is not a Christian" and "one who is not a Jew."

gentle --- c.1225, from O.Fr. gentil "high-born, noble," from L. gentilis "of the same family or clan," from gens (gen. gentis) "race, clan," from root of gignere "beget" (see kin), from PIE base *gen- "produce." Sense of "gracious, kind" (now obsolete) first recorded c.1280; that of "mild, tender" is 1552. Older sense remains in gentleman "well-born man" (c.1275). Gentleman's agreement is first attested 1929.

gentry --- 1303, from O.Fr. genterise, variant of gentilise "noble birth, gentleness," from gentil (see gentle). Gentrify "to renovate inner-city housing to middle-class standards" is a 1972 formation. In Anglo-Ir., gentry was a name for "the fairies" (1880), and gentle could mean "enchanted" (1823).

genuflection --- 1526, from L.L. genuflectionem (nom. genuflexio), from stem of genuflectere "genuflect," from L. genu "knee" (cf. Skt. janu, Gk. gonu, Goth. kniu, O.E. cneo) + flectere "to bend."

genuine --- 1596, from L. genuinus "native, natural," from root of gignere "beget" (see genus), perhaps infl. in form by contrasting adulterinus "spurious." Alternative etymology is from L. genu "knee," from an ancient custom of a father acknowledging paternity of a newborn by placing it on his knee.

genus --- (pl. genera), 1551 as a term of logic (biological sense dates from 1608), from L. genus (gen. generis) "race, stock, kind," cognate with Gk. genos "race, kind," and gonos "birth, offspring, stock," from PIE base *gen-/*gon-/*gn- "produce, beget, be born" (cf. Skt. janati "begets, bears," janah "race," jatah "born;" Avestan zizanenti "they bear;" Gk. gignesthai "to become, happen;" L. gignere "to beget," gnasci "to be born," genius "procreative divinity, inborn tutelary spirit, innate quality," ingenium "inborn character," germen "shoot, bud, embryo, germ;" Lith. gentis "kinsmen;" Goth. kuni "race;" O.E. cennan "beget, create;" O.H.G. kind "child;" O.Ir. ro-genar "I was born;" Welsh geni "to be born").

geocentric --- 1686, from Gk. geo- comb. form of ge "earth" + centric (see center).

geode --- 1676, from Fr. géode, from L. geodes, from Gk. geodes "earthy, earth-like," from ge "earth" (Homeric gaia), a word of pre-I.E. origin.

geodesic --- 1821, from geodesy "surveying" (1570), from Gk. geodaisia "division of the earth," ult. from ge "earth, land" + daiein "divide."

Geoffrey --- male personal name, from O.Fr. Geoffroi, from M.L. Galfridus, from O.H.G. gewi "district" + fridu "peace."

geography --- 1542, from Fr., from L., from Gk. geographia "description of the earth's surface," from ge "earth" + -graphia "description," from graphein "write."

geology --- 1735, Mod.L. geologia "the study of the earth," from ge "earth" + logia, from logos "speech, word, discourse." In M.L., geologia (14c.) meant "study of earthly things," i.e. law, as distinguished from arts and sciences, which concern the works of God.

geomancy --- art of divination by means of signs derived from the earth, 1362, from Fr. geomancie, from L. geomantia, from late Gk. *geomanteia, from geo-, comb. form of ge "earth" + manteia "divination."

geometry --- c.1330, from O.Fr. géométrie, from L. geometria, from Gk. geometria "measurement of earth or land, geometry," from ge "earth, land" + -metria, from metrein "to measure."

geophagy --- dirt-eating, 1850, from Gk. *geophagia (the actual Gk. was geotragia), from geo-, comb. form of ge "earth" + phagein "to eat." "A diseased appetite ... prevails in several parts of Alabama, where they eat clay. I heard various speculations on the origin of this singular propensity, called 'geophagy' in some medical books." [Lyell, 1850]

geophysical --- 1888, from geo-, comb. form of Gk. ge "earth" + physical.

geopolitical --- 1902, from Swed. geopolitisk (used by R. Kjellen, 1900), from geo-, comb. form of Gk. ge "earth" + politisk "political."

George --- male personal name, from L. Georgius, from Gk. Georgios "husbandman, farmer," from ge "earth" + ergon "work" (see urge (v.)). The name introduced in England by the Crusaders (a vision of St. George played a key role in the First Crusade), but not common until after the Hanoverian succession (18c.); so also Georgian (1855) in reference to the reigns of the first four king Georges (1714-1830). St. George began to be recognized as patron of England in time of Edward III, perhaps because of his association with the Order of the Garter (see garter). His feast day, April 23, was made a holiday in 1222. The legend of his combat with the dragon is first found in "Legenda Aurea" (13c.). The exclamation by (St.) George! is recorded from 1598.

Georgia --- the U.S. state was named for King George II of Great Britain. The Caucasian nation is so-called for St. George, who is its patron saint (his cult there may continue that of a pre-Christian deity with whom he was later identified), but the name also is said to derive from Arabic or Pers. Kurj, or Gurz (the form in the earliest sources), said to be a name of the native people, of unknown origin. In modern Georgia, the name of the country is Sakartvelo and the people's name is Kartveli.

georgic --- 1513, used by Virgil as title of poems on rural life, from Gk. georgikos "of a husbandman," from ge "earth" + ergon "work" (see urge (v.)).

Gerald --- a name introduced by the Normans, from O.Fr. Giralt, from O.H.G. Gerwald, from P.Gmc. *girald "spear-ruler," from *ger "spear" + base of waltan "to rule" (cf. O.E. wealdan). The name was often confused with Gerard (q.v.).

geranium --- 1548, from L. geranium, from Gk. geranion, dim. of geranos "crane" (cognate with L. grus, Eng. crane), from supposed resemblance of seed pods to cranes' bills; the native name was also cranebill.

Gerard --- male proper name, from O.Fr. Gerart, of Gmc. origin, cf. O.H.G. Gerhard, lit. "strong with the spear," from ger "spear" + hart "hard."

gerbil --- 1849, from Fr. gerbille, from Mod.L. Gerbillus, the genus name, from gerbo, from Ar. yarbu.

geriatric --- 1909, formed in Eng. from Gk. geras "old age" (from PIE base *gere- "to grow old;" cf. Skt. jarati "makes frail, causes to age") + iatrikos "of a physician," from iatros, related to iasthai "heal, treat," of uncertain origin. Geriatrics was coined 1909 by Ignatz L. Nascher (1863-1944) in "New York Medical Journal" on the model of pediatrics. The correct formation would be gerontiatrics.

germ (n.) --- 1644, "rudiment of a new organism in an existing one," from M.Fr. germe, from L. germen (gen. germinis) "sprout, bud," from PIE base *gen- "to beget, bear" (cf. Skt. janman "birth, origin;" see genus). The original sense is preserved in wheat germ and germ of an idea; sense of "seed of a disease" first recorded 1803; that of "harmful microorganism" dates from 1871.

german (1) --- of the same parents or grandparents, c.1300, from O.Fr. germain, from L. germanus "of brothers and sisters," related to germen (gen. germinis) "sprout, bud," dissimilated from PIE *gen(e)-men-, from base *gene- "to give birth, beget" (see genus).

German (2) --- Teuton, 1530, from L. Germanus, first attested in writings of Julius Caesar, who used Germani to designate a group of tribes in northeastern Gaul, origin unknown, probably the name of an individual tribe. It is perhaps of Gaulish (Celtic) origin, perhaps originally meaning "noisy" (cf. O.Ir. garim "to shout") or "neighbor" (cf. O.Ir. gair "neighbor"). The earlier Eng. word was Almain or Dutch. Their name for themselves was the root word of modern Ger. Deutsch (see Dutch). Roman writers also used Teutoni as a German tribal name, and Latin writers after about 875 commonly refer to the German language as teutonicus. See also Alemanni and Teutonic. The German shepherd (dog) (1922) translates Ger. deutscher Schäferhund

germane --- 1340, "having the same parents," derived from german (1); cf. human/humane, urban/urbane. Main modern sense of "closely connected, relevant" (1602) derives from use in "Hamlet" Act V, Scene ii: "The phrase would bee more Germaine to the matter: If we could carry Cannon by our sides," which is a fig. use of the word in the now-obsolete sense of "closely related, akin" (1470) in reference to things, not persons.

germinal --- 1808, from L. germen (gen. germinis) "sprout, bud;" see germ.

germination --- 1594, from L. germinationem (nom. germinatio) "sprouting forth, budding," from germinare "to sprout, put forth shoots," from germen (gen. germinis) "a sprout or bud."

Geronimo --- cry made in jumping, from the story of the Apache leader Geronimo making a daring leap to escape U.S. cavalry pursuers at Medicine Bluffs, Okla. (and supposedly shouting his name in defiance as he did). Adopted as battle cry by 82nd Airborne U.S. paratroopers in World War II, who perhaps had seen it in a movie. The name is the It. and Sp. form of Jerome, from Gk. Hieronomos, lit. "sacred name."

gerontology --- 1903, coined in Eng. from Gk. geron (gen. gerontos) "old man," from PIE base *ger(e)- "to become ripe, grow old" (cf. Skt. jara "old age," Avestan zaurvan "old age," Ossetic zarond "old man").

gerrymander --- 1812, Amer.Eng., from Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander. Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, was lampooned when his party redistricted the state in a blatant bid to preserve an Antifederalist majority. One Essex County district resembled a salamander, and a newspaper editor dubbed it Gerrymander.

Gertrude --- fem. proper name, from Fr., from O.H.G. Geretrudis, from ger "spear" + trut "beloved, dear."

gerund --- 1513, from L.L. gerundium, from Old Latin gerundum "to be carried out," gerundive of gerere "to bear, carry." In L., a verbal noun used for all cases of the infinitive but the nominative; applied in Eng. to verbal nouns in -ing.

gesellschaft --- 1887, "social relationship based on duty to society or an organization," from Ger., from geselle "companion" + -schaft "-ship."

gest --- famous deed, exploit, c.1300, from O.Fr. geste "action, exploit, romance," from L. gesta "actions, exploits," neut. pl. of gestus, pp. of gerere "to carry on, wage, perform" (see jest).

Gestalt --- 1922, from Ger. Gestaltqualität (1890, introduced by Ger. philosopher Christian von Ehrenfels, 1859-1932), from M.H.G. gestalt "form, configuration, appearance," abstracted from ungestalt "deformity," noun use of adj. ungestalt "misshapen," from gestalt, obsolete pp. of stellen "to place, arrange." As a school of psychology, it was founded c.1912.

Gestapo --- 1934, from Ger. Gestapo, from "Geheime Staats-polizei," lit. "secret state police," set up by Hermann Göring in Prussia in 1933, extended to all Germany in January 1934.

gestation --- 1533, "riding on horseback, etc., as a form of exercise," from L. gestationem (nom. gestatio) "a carrying," from gestare "bear, carry, gestate," freq. of gerere (pp. gestus) "to bear, carry, bring forth." Meaning "action or process of carrying young in the womb" is from 1615.

Gesthemane --- name of a garden on the Mout of Olives in Jerusalem [Matt. xxvi.36-46], from Aramaic gath shemani(m) "oil-press."

gesticulate --- 1601, from pp. stem of L. gesticulari "to gesture, mimic," from gesticulus "a mimicking gesture," dim. of gestus "gesture, carriage, posture" (see gest).

gesture --- c.1410, "manner of carrying the body," from M.L. gestura "bearing, behavior," from L. gestus "gesture, carriage, posture" (see gest). Restricted sense of "a movement of the body or a part of it" is from 1551; fig. sense of "action undertaken in good will to express feeling" is from 1916.

gesundheit --- 1914, from Ger., lit. "health!" Also in toast auf ihre Gesundheit "to your health" (see sound (adj.)). Lith. aciu, echoic of the sound of a sneeze, has come to mean "good luck, God bless you." See also God.

get --- c.1200, from O.N. geta "to obtain, reach" (p.t. gatum, pp. getenn), from P.Gmc. *getan (cf. O.E. begietan "to beget," O.Swed. gissa "to guess," lit. "to try to get"), from PIE base *ghe(n)d- "seize" (cf. Gk. khandanein "to hold, contain," Lith. godetis "be eager," second element in L. prehendere "to grasp, seize," Welsh gannu "to hold, contain," O.C.S. gadati "to guess, suppose"). Meaning "to seize mentally, grasp" is from 1892. O.E., as well as Du. and Fris., had the root only in compounds (cf. beget, forget). Vestiges of O.E. cognate *gietan remain obliquely in pp. gotten and original pt. gat. The word and phrases built on it take up 29 columns in the OED 2nd edition. Slang get over "recover, rebound" is from 1687. Getaway "escape" is from 1852. Get-up "equipment or costume" is from 1847. Get-rich-quick (adj.) is from 1902. Get wind of "become acquainted with" is from 1840, from earlier to get wind "to get out, become known" (1722).

gewgaw --- c.1225, possibly a reduplication connected with O.Fr. gogue "joke, game," or jou-jou "toy," baby-talk word, from jouer "to play," from L. jocare.

geyser --- 1780, from Icelandic Geysir, name of a hot spring in the valley of Haukadal, from O.N. geysa "to gush," from P.Gmc. *gausjan, from PIE *gheus-, from root *gheu- "to pour."

ghastly --- c.1305, from O.E. gæstan "to torment, frighten" + -lich "-ly." Spelling with gh- developed 16c. from confusion with ghost.