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

guide (v.) --- c.1374, from O.Fr. guider "to guide, lead, conduct," from Frank. *witan "show the way," from P.Gmc. *wit- "to know" (cf. Ger. weisen "to show, point out," O.E. witan "to see"). The Fr. word infl. by O.Prov. guidar (n.) "guide, leader," from the same source. The noun meaning "one who shows the way" first recorded 1362. Guidance is first recorded 1590, replacing 15c. guying. With reference to problems and advice (in school, career, etc.) it is first recorded 1927. In 18c. France, a "for Dummies" or "Idiot's Guide to" book would be a guid' âne, lit. "guide-ass."

guidon --- small flag, 1548, from M.Fr., from It. guidone "battle standard," from guidare "to direct, guide," from O.Prov. guidar (see guide).

guild --- c.1230, yilde (spelling later infl. by O.N. gildi), a semantic fusion of O.E. gegyld "guild" and gild, gyld "payment, tribute, compensation," from P.Gmc. *gelth- "pay" (cf. O.Fris. geld "money," O.S. geld "payment, sacrifice, reward," O.H.G. gelt "payment, tribute"). The connecting sense is of a tribute or payment to join a protective or trade society. But some see the root in its alternate sense of "sacrifice," as if in worship, and see the word as meaning a combination for religious purposes, either Christian or pagan. The Anglo-Saxon guilds had a strong religious component; they were burial societies that paid for masses for the souls of deceased members as well as paying fines in cases of justified crime. The continental custom of guilds of merchants arrived after the Conquest, with incorporated societies of merchants in each town or city holding exclusive rights of doing business there. In many cases they became the governing body of a town (cf. Guildhall, which came to be the London city hall). Trade guilds arose 14c., as craftsmen united to protect their common interest.

guilder --- Du. coin, c.1481, from Du. gulden, lit. "golden."

guile --- c.1150, from O.Fr. guile, from Frank. *wigila "trick, ruse" (cf. O.Fris. wigila "sorcery, witchcraft," and O.E. wil "trick," see wile).

guillotine --- 1793, in allusion to Joseph Guillotin (1738-1814), Fr. physician, who as deputy to the National Assembly (1789) proposed, for humanitarian and efficiency reasons, that capital punishment be carried out by beheading quickly and cleanly on a machine, which was built in 1791 and first used the next year. The verb is first attested 1794.

guilt --- O.E. gylt "crime, sin, fault, fine," of unknown origin, though some suspect a connection to O.E. gieldan "to pay for, debt," but O.E.D. editors find this "inadmissible phonologically." The mistaken use for "sense of guilt" is first recorded 1690. Guilt by association first recorded 1941. Guilty is from O.E. gyltig, from gylt.

guinea --- former British coin, 1664, from Guinea, region along the west coast of Africa, presumably from an African word (perhaps Tuareg aginaw "black people"); the 20-shilling coins so called because they were first minted for British trade with Guinea (but soon in domestic use) and with gold from Africa. The original guinea (in use from 1663 to 1813) was based on the value of gold and by 1695 it was worth 30 shillings. William III then fixed its value at 21 shillings, 6 pence in 1698. The extra 6 pence were lopped off in December 1717. The Guinea hen (1578) is a domestic fowl imported from there. Guinea "derogatory term for Italian" (1896) was originally Guinea Negro (1740s) and meant "black person, person of mixed ancestry." It was applied to Italians c.1890 probably because of their dark complexions relative to northern Europeans, and after 1911 was occasionally applied to Hispanics and Pacific Islanders as well. New Guinea was so named 1546 by Sp. explorer Inigo Ortiz de Retes in ref. to the natives' dark skin and tightly curled hair.

Guinea pig --- 1664, native to South America and is so called either because it was first brought back to Britain aboard Guinea-men, ships that plied the triangle trade between England, Guinea, and South America; or from confusion of Guinea (q.v.) with the South American region of Guyana. In the extended sense of "one subjected to an experiment" it is first recorded 1920, because they were commonly used in vivisection experiments.

Guinevere --- fem. proper name, from Welsh Gwenhwyvar, lit. "white-cheeked."

guise --- c.1275, from O.Fr. guise, from Frank. *wisa (cf. O.H.G. wisa "manner, wise").

guitar --- 1621, ult. from Gk. kithara "cithara," a stringed musical instrument related to the lyre, perhaps from Pers. sihtar (see sitar); the name reached Eng. several times, including early 14c. giterne, in reference to various stringed, guitar-like instruments; the modern word is directly from Sp. guittara, from Arabic qitar, from the Gk.

gulag --- system of prisons and labor camps, especially for political detainees, in the former Soviet Union; rough acronym from Rus. Glavnoe upravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh lagerei "Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps," set up in 1931.

gulch --- 1832, Amer.Eng., perhaps from obsolete or dial. Eng. gulsh "sink in" (of land), "gush out" (of water), from M.E. gulchen "to gush forth, to drink greedily."

gules --- red, in heraldic descriptions, c.1300, from O.Fr. goules "neckpiece of (red) fur," pl. of gole, guele "throat," from L. gula "throat" (see gullet).

gulf --- c.1300, from O.Fr. golfe "a gulf, whirlpool," from It. golfo "a gulf, a bay," from L.L. colfos, from Gk. kolpos "bay, gulf," earlier "trough between waves, fold of a garment," originally "bosom," the common notion being "curved shape," from PIE *qwelp- "to vault" (cf. O.E. hwealf, a-hwielfan "to overwhelm"). Latin sinus underwent the same development, being used first for "bosom," later for "gulf." Replaced O.E. sæ-earm. Figurative sense of "a wide interval" is from 1557. The Gulf Stream (1775) takes its name from the Gulf of Mexico.

gull --- c.1430 (in a cook book), probably from Brythonic Celtic, cf. Welsh gwylan "gull," Cornish guilan, Breton goelann; all from O.Celt. *voilenno-. Replaced O.E. mæw.

Gullah --- of or pertaining to blacks on the sea-islands of Georgia and South Carolina, 1739 (first attested as a male slave's proper name), of uncertain origin. Early 19c. folk etymology made it a shortening of Angola (homeland of many slaves) or traced it to a W. African tribal group called the Golas.

gullet --- 1305, from O.Fr. goulet, dim. of goule "throat, neck," from L. gula "throat," from PIE base *gel- "swallow" (cf. L. gluttire "to gulp down, devour," O.E. ceole "throat," O.C.S. glutu "gullet," O.Ir. gelim "I devour").

gullible --- 1793 (implied in gullibility), earlier cullibility (1728), probably connected to gull, a cant term for "dupe, sucker" (1594), which is of uncertain origin. It is perhaps from the bird (see gull (n.)), or from verb gull "to swallow" (1530, from O.Fr. goule, from L. gula "throat," see gullet); in either case with a sense of "someone who will swallow anything thrown at him." Another possibility is M.E. dial. gull "newly hatched bird" (1382), which is perhaps from O.N. golr "yellow," from the hue of its down.

Gulliver --- male proper name, from O.Fr. goulafre "glutton," a very common name, found as a surname in Domesday Book (William Gulafra).

gully --- 1538, possibly a variant of M.E. golet "water channel" (see gullet).

gulp --- (v.), 15c., from Flem. gulpe or Du. gulpen "to gush, pour forth, guzzle, swallow," possibly of imitative origin.

gum (1) --- resin, c.1300, from O.Fr. gomme, from L.L. gumma, from L. gummi, from Gk. kommi "gum," from Egyptian kemai. The verb, in the transferred fig. sense of "spoil, ruin" (usually with up) is first recorded 1901, probably from the notion of machinery becoming clogged. As a shortened form of chewing gum, first attested 1842 in Amer.Eng.; gumshoe "plainclothes detective" is from 1906, from the rubber-soled shoes they wore (which were so called from 1863). Gum-tree (1676) was so called for the resin it exudes.

gum (2) --- membranes of the mouth, from O.E. goma "palate," from a Gmc. source represented by O.N. gomi "palate," O.H.G. goumo, related to Lith. gomurys "palate," and perhaps from PIE *gheu- "to yawn" (cf. Gk. khaos, see chaos).

gumbo --- 1805, from Louisiana Fr., probably ult. from Central Bantu dialect (cf. Mbundu ngombo "okra").

gumption --- 1719, Scottish, "common sense, shrewdness," also "drive, initiative," possibly connected with M.E. gome "attention, heed," from O.N. gaumr "heed." Originally "common sense, shrewdness," sense of "initiative" is first recorded 1812.

gun --- 1339, gunne "an engine of war that throws rocks, arrows or other missiles," probably a shortening of woman's name Gunilda, found in M.E. gonnilde "cannon" and in an Anglo-L. reference to a specific gun from a 1330 munitions inventory of Windsor Castle ("...una magna balista de cornu quae Domina Gunilda ..."), from O.N. Gunnhildr, woman's name (from gunnr + hildr, both meaning "war, battle"); the identification of women with powerful weapons is common historically (cf. Big Bertha, Brown Bess, etc.); meaning shifted with technology, from cannons to firearms as they developed 15c. Great guns (cannon, etc.) distinguished from small guns (such as muskets) from c.1408. First applied to pistols and revolvers 1744. Meaning "thief, rascal" is from 1858. The verb meaning "to shoot with a gun" is from 1622; the sense of "to accelerate an engine" is from 1930. Gun-shy is 1884, originally of sporting dogs. Son of a gun is originally nautical. Gun-metal (commonly an alloy of copper and zinc) used attributively of a dull blue-gray color since 1905. Gunboat is from 1793; gunboat diplomacy is from 1927, originally with reference to China.

gun moll --- 1908, "female criminal," second element from nickname of Mary, used of disreputable females since early 1600s; first element from slang gonif "thief" (1885), from Yiddish, from Heb. gannabh "thief."

gung ho --- 1942, slang motto of Carlson's Raiders, (2nd Marine Raider Battalion, under Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, 1896-1947), U.S. guerrilla unit operating in the Pacific in World War II, from Chinese kung ho "work together, cooperate." Widely adopted in Amer.Eng. c.1959. "Borrowing an idea from China, Carlson frequently has what he calls 'kung-hou' meetings .... Problems are threshed out and orders explained." ["New York Times Magazine," Nov. 8, 1942]

gunk --- 1949, "viscous substance," Amer.Eng., apparently from Gunk, trademark for a thick liquid soap patented 1932 by A.F. Curran Co. of Malden, Mass.

gunny --- 1711, Anglo-Indian goney "coarse fabric," from Hindi goni, from Skt. goni "sack."

gunpowder --- 1411, from gun + powder. The Gunpowder Plot was the conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament on Nov. 5, 1605, while the King, Lords and Commons were assembled there.

gunsel --- 1914, Amer. Eng., from hobo slang, "a catamite;" specifically "a young male kept as a sexual companion, esp. by an older tramp," from Yiddish genzel, from Ger. Gänslein "gosling, young goose." The secondary, non-sexual meaning "young hoodlum" seems to be entirely traceable to Dashiell Hammett, who snuck it into "The Maltese Falcon" (1939) while warring with his editor over the book's racy language. " 'Another thing,' Spade repeated, glaring at the boy: 'Keep that gunsel away from me while you're making up your mind. I'll kill him.' " The context implies some connection with gun and a sense of "gunman," and evidently the editor bought it. The word was retained in the script of the 1941 movie made from the book, so evidently the Motion Picture Production Code censors didn't know it either. "The relationship between Kasper Gutman (Sidney Greenstreet) and his young hit-man companion, Wilmer Cook (Elisha Cook, Jr.), is made fairly clear in the movie, but the overt mention of sexual perversion would have been deleted if the censors hadn't made the same mistaken assumption as Hammett's editor." [Hugh Rawson, "Wicked Words," 1989, p.184]

gunwale --- 1466, gonne walle, from gun + wale "plank." Originally a platform on the deck of a ship to support the mounted guns.

guppy --- 1925, named for R.J.L. Guppy, Trinidad clergyman who supplied the first specimen (1866) to the British Museum. The family name is from a place in Dorset. The class of streamlined U.S. submarines (1948) is an acronym from greater underwater propulsion power + -y.

Gupta --- 4c.-6c. North Indian dynasty, from Chandragupta, name of the founder.

gurgle --- c.1400, gurgitation, a medical term for "gurgling heard in the abdomen," from M.L. gurgulationem (nom. gurgulatio), of imitative origin. Extended (non-anatomical) use, in reference to water over stones, etc., is first recorded 1713.

Gurkha --- 1811, member of a dominant race of Nepal, of Hindu descent, famous as warriors.

guru --- 1800, gooroo, from Hindi guru "teacher, priest," from Skt. guru-s "one to be honored, teacher," lit. "heavy, weighty," from PIE base *gru- (see grave (adj.)). Generalized sense of "mentor" is from 1940; sense of "expert in something" first recorded c.1966 in Canadian Eng. in ref. to Marshall McLuhan.

gush --- 12c., gosshien "make noises in the stomach," later (c.1400) "rush out suddenly, pour out," probably formed onomatopoeically in Eng. under infl. of O.N. gusa "to gush, spurt," related to geyser. Metaphoric sense of "speak in an effusive manner" first recorded 1873. Gusher "oil well that flows without pumping" is from 1886.

gussy (v.) --- to dress up or decorate in a showy way, 1952, Amer.Eng. slang, apparently from Gussy (1940), schoolyard slang name for an overly dressed person, perhaps related to gussie (1901) "effeminate man," and somehow connected to the nickname for Augusta and Augustus.

gust --- 1588, possibly a dial. survival from O.N. gustr "a cold blast of wind," or O.H.G. gussa "flood," both from P.Gmc. *gustiz, from PIE *gheus-, from root *gheu- "to pour." Probably originally in Eng. as a nautical term.

gustatory --- 1684, from L. gustatus, pp. of gustare "to taste."

gusto --- 1629, from It. gusto "taste," from L. gustus "a tasting," related to gustare "to taste," from PIE base *geus- (cf. Skt. jus- "enjoy, be pleased," Avestan zaosa- "pleasure," O.Pers. dauš- "enjoy"), a root that forms words for "taste" in Gk. and L., but mostly meaning "try" or "choose" in Gmc. and Celt. (cf. O.E. cosan, cesan "to choose," Goth. kausjan "to test, to taste of," O.H.G. koston "try," Ger. kosten "taste of"). The semantic development could have been in either direction.

gut --- O.E. guttas (pl.) "bowels, entrails," related to geotan "to pour," from PIE *gh(e)u- "pour." Related to M.Du. gote, Ger. Gosse "gutter, drain," M.E. gote "channel, stream." Meaning "easy college course" is student slang from 1916, probably from obsolete slang sense of "feast" (the connecting notion is "something that one can eat up"). Sense of "inside contents of anything" (usually pl.) is from 1580. Figurative pl. guts "spirit, courage," first recorded 1893; hence gutless "cowardly" (1915). The verb meaning "to remove the guts of" (of fish, etc.) is from c.1300. To hate (someone's) guts is first attested 1918. Gut reaction is 1963, probably a back-formation from gutsy (1936) "tough, plucky."

gutta-percha --- 1845, from Malay getah percha, lit. "the gum of percha, the name of the tree.

gutter (n.) --- 1280, Anglo-Norman gotere, from O.Fr. guitere, from goute "a drop," from L. gutta. Originally "a watercourse," later "furrow made by running water" (1586). Meaning "trough under the eaves of a roof to carry off rainwater" is from 1354. Figurative sense of "low, profane" is from 1818.

gutter (v.) --- 1387, "to make or run in channels," from gutter (n.). In reference to candles (1706) it is from the channel that forms on the side as the molten wax flows off.

guttersnipe --- 1857, from gutter (n.) + snipe (n.); originally Wall Street slang for "streetcorner broker," attested later (1869) as "street urchin," also "one who gathers rags and paper from gutters." As a name for the common snipe, it dates from 1874 but is perhaps earlier.

guttural --- 1594, from M.Fr. guttural, from L. guttur "throat."

guy (1) --- rope, chain, wire, c.1350, "leader," from O.Fr. guie "a guide," from guier (see guide); or from a similar word in North Sea Gmc. The "rope" sense is nautical, first recorded 1623.

guy (2) --- fellow, 1847, originally Amer.Eng.; earlier (1836) "grotesquely or poorly dressed person," originally (1806) "effigy of Guy Fawkes," leader of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up British king and Parliament (Nov. 5, 1605), paraded through the streets by children on the anniversary of the conspiracy. The male proper name is from Fr., related to It. Guido, lit. "leader," of Gmc. origin (see guide).

guyot --- flat-topped submarine mountain, 1946, named for Swiss geographer geologist Arnold Guyot (1807-84).

guzzle --- 1576, probably related to Fr. goiser "throat," or imitative of the sound of drinking greedily.

Gwendolyn --- fem. proper name; the first element is Breton gwenn "white" (cf. Welsh gwyn, O.Ir. find, Gael. fionn, Gaul. vindo- "white, shining," lit. "visible"), from PIE base *weid-, *wid- "to see, know" (see vision).

gymnasium --- 1598, "place of exercise," from L. gymnasium "school for gymnastics," from Gk. gymnasion, from gymnazein "to exercise or train," lit. "to train naked," from gymnos "naked." Shortened form gym is attested from 1871. Introduced to Ger. 15c. as a name for "high school," in Eng. it has remained purely athletic. Gymnast (1594) in the modern sense is a back-formation of gymnastic, (1574) from Gk. gynmastikos "pertaining to or skilled in bodily exercise."

gymnosophist --- c.1400, from Gk. gymnosophistai, from gymnos "naked" + sophistes "sophist" (see sophist). Ancient Hindu holy men whose self-denial extended to clothes; they were known to the Greeks through the reports of Alexander the Great's soldiers.

gymnosperm --- 1830, from Fr. gymnosperme, lit. "naked seed" (i.e., not enclosed in an ovary), from Gk. gymnos "naked" + sperma "seed" (see sprout).

gynecology --- 1847, from Fr. gynécologie, from Gk. gynaik-, comb. form of gyne "woman, female," from PIE *gwen- "woman" (see queen). Second element is from Fr. -logie "study of," from Gk.

gyp --- to cheat, swindle, 1889, Amer.Eng., probably short for Gypsy.

gypsum --- 1387, from L. gypsum, from Gk. gypsos "chalk," probably of Sem. origin (cf. Arabic jibs, Heb. gephes "plaster").

Gypsy --- 1600, alteration of gypcian, a worn-down M.E. dial. form of egypcien "Egyptian," from the supposed origin of these people. Cognate with Sp. Gitano and close in sense to Turk. and Arabic Kipti "gypsy," lit. "Coptic;" but in M.Fr. they were Bohémien (see bohemian), and in Sp. also Flamenco "from Flanders." "The gipsies seem doomed to be associated with countries with which they have nothing to do" [Weekley]. Zingari, the It. and Ger. name, is of unknown origin. Romany is from the people's own language, a pl. adj. form of rom "man." Gipsy is the prefered spelling in England.

gyration --- 1615, from L.L. gyratum, pp. of gyrare, from L. gyrus "circle" (see gyre). Gyrate (v.) is an 1822 back-formation (implied in gyrated).

gyre --- 1566, "a circular motion;" as a verb, "to turn round," c.1420; from L. gyrus "circle," from Gk. gyros "circle, ring," related to gyros "rounded," from PIE base *geu- "to bend, curve."

gyrfalcon --- 1209, from O.Fr. gerfauc, probably from Frankish, from P.Gmc. *ger (cf. O.H.G. gir "vulture") + L. falco "hawk." Folk etymology connects it with L. gyrus (see gyre) in reference to "circling" in the air.

gyro --- sandwich made from roasted lamb, late 20c., originally the meat itself, as roasted on a rotating spit, from Modern Gk. gyros "a circle," mistaken in Eng. for a plural and shorn of its -s.

gyromancy --- 1557, "a method of divination by walking in a circle till the person falls down from dizziness, the inference being drawn from the place in the circle at which he fell," from M.L. gyromantia, from Gk. gyyros "circle" + manteia "divination, oracle."

gyroscope --- 1856, invented and named in Fr. 1852 by Foucault, from Gk. gyros "circle" + skopos "watcher," because the device demonstrates that the earth rotates.

H --- the pronunciation "aitch" was in O.Fr. (ache), and is from a presumed L.L. *accha (cf. It. effe, elle, emme), with the central sound approximating the value of the letter when it passed from Roman to Germanic, where it at first represented a strong, distinctly aspirated -kh- sound close to that in Scottish loch. In earlier L. the letter was called ha. In Romance languages, the sound became silent in L.L. and was omitted in O.Fr. and It., but it was restored in M.E. spelling in words borrowed from O.Fr., and often later in pronunciation, too. Thus Mod.Eng. has words ultimately from L. with missing -h- (e.g. able, from L. habile); with a silent -h- (e.g. heir, hour); with a formerly silent -h- now vocalized (e.g. humble, honor); and even a few with an excrescent -h- fitted in confusion to words that never had one (e.g. hostage, hermit). Relics of the formerly unvoiced -h- persist in pedantic insistence on an historical (object) and in obs. mine host. The use in digraphs (e.g. -sh-, -th-) goes back to the ancient Gk. alphabet, which used it in -ph-, -th-, -kh- until -H- took on the value of a long "e" and the digraphs acquired their own characters. The letter passed into Roman use before this evolution, and thus retained there more of its original Sem. value.

ha --- c.1300, natural expression found in most European languages; in O.E., Gk., L., O.Fr. as ha ha. A ha-ha (1712), from Fr., was "an obstacle interrupting one's way sharply and disagreeably;" so called because it "surprizes ... and makes one cry Ah! Ah!" ["Le Blond's Gardening," 1712].

habeas corpus --- 1465, from L., lit. "(you should) have the person," in phrase habeas corpus ad subjiciendum "produce or have the person to be subjected to (examination)," opening words of writs in 14c. Anglo-Fr. documents to require a person to be brought before a court or judge, especially to determine if that person is being legally detained. From habeas, second pers. sing. pres. subjunctive of habere "to have, to hold" (see habit) + corpus "person," lit. "body" (see corporeal).

haberdasher --- 1311, from Anglo-Fr. hapertas "small wares," of unknown origin. At first "a dealer in small articles of trade," sense of "dealer in men's wares" is 1887 in Amer.Eng., via intermediate sense of "seller of hats."

habiliment --- 1422, "munitions, weapons," from M.Fr. habillement, from abiller "prepare or fit out," probably from habile "fit, suitable" (see able). Alternate etymology makes the M.Fr. verb originally mean "reduce a tree by stripping off the branches," from a- "to" + bille "stick of wood." Sense of "clothing, dress" developed 1470, by association with habit (q.v.).

habit --- c.1225, from O.Fr. habit, from L. habitus "condition, demeanor, appearance, dress," originally pp. of habere "to have, to hold, possess," from PIE base *ghabh- "to seize, take, hold, have, give, receive" (cf. Skt. gabhasti- "hand, forearm;" O.Ir. gaibim "I take, hold, I have," gabal "act of taking;" Lith. gabana "armful," gabenti "to remove;" Goth. gabei "riches;" O.E. giefan, O.N. gefa "to give"). Base sense probably "to hold," which can be either in offering or in taking. Applied in Latin to both inner and outer states of being, and taken over in both sense by English, though meaning of "dress" is now restricted to monks and nuns. Drug sense is from 1887. Habitual first attested 1526.

habitat --- 1762, as a technical term in Latin texts on Eng. flora and fauna, lit. "it inhabits," third pers. sing. pres. indic. of habitare "to live, dwell," freq. of habere "to have, to hold, possess" (see habit). General sense of "dwelling place" is first attested 1854. Habitant "Canadian of Fr. descent" (1789) is from Fr. word meaning "inhabitant" (lit. the prp. of habiter "to inhabit, dwell"), and was the usual word for planters in 18c. Quebec.