The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (33 page)

garbanzo (gahrbanz o) SPANISH [from
arvanco] noun a chickpea: "Garbanzos
are a highfiber low-cholesterol food."

garcon (gahrson) FRENCH [boy,
servant] noun a waiter: "Garcon, fetch
a brandy quick ... / There! I'm feeling
better now. / Let's collaborate, we two. /
You the Mummer, I the Bard; / Oh, what
ripping stuff we'll do, / Sitting on the
Boulevard!" (Robert Service, Ballads of
a Bohemian, 1920).

garderobe (gahrdrob) FRENCH [from
garder to keep and robe dress] noun
(in architecture) a wardrobe or a
storeroom for clothes, or a lavatory, in
a medieval building.

garni (knee, gahrnee) FRENCH [garnished] adjective of or relating to a dish served with a garnish or sauce of
some kind.

Gastarbeiter (gastahrbitar) GERMAN
[guestworker] noun (plural Gastarbeiter, Gastarbeiters) a foreign
or immigrant worker (especially one
working in Germany): "There have been
several serious riots in recent weeks over
the issue of Gastarbeiters, who are accused
of taking jobs that would otherwise go to
German workers."

Gasthaus (gasthoWS) GERMAN [guesthouse] noun (plural Gasthauser,
gasthoizar) a guesthouse or inn
(especially one in Germany).

gastronome (gastranom) FRENCH
[from gastronomic gastronomy, itself
derived from Greek gastronomia stomach law] noun a person with a love
of and serious interest in good food:
"But first,' he hastily continued, perceiving, with the unerring instinct of an old
gastronome, that the inviting refreshments
onVetranio's table had remained untouched,
permit me to fortify my exhausted energies
by a visit to your ever-luxurious board"'
(Wilkie Collins, Antonina, 1850).

gateau (gato), gateau FRENCH [cake]
noun (plural gateaus, gatoz, gateaux
or gateaux, gato) a rich, often
multilayered, cake: "She felt her determination to stick to the diet start to fail as
she stared at the enormous gateau, oozing
cream and melting chocolate."

gauche (gosh) FRENCH [left, clumsy,
awkward] adjective lacking in grace,
elegance, tact, or social experience: "I
wish I had Her constant cheek; I wish that
I could sing / All sorts offunny little songs,
/ Not quite the proper thing. / I'm very
gauche and very shy, / Her jokes aren't
in my line; / And, worst of all, I'm seventeen / While She is forty-nine" (Rudyard
Kipling, "My Rival," 1886).

gaucherie (gosharee) FRENCH [lefthandedness, clumsiness, derived from
gauche left, clumsy, awkward] noun a
tactless, awkward, or clumsy act or
manner: "He had made his entrance into
the great world' and he meant to hold his
place in it as one to the manor born.' Its
people should not find him lacking: he
would wear their manner and speak their
language no gaucherie should betray
him, no homely phrase escape his lips"
(Booth Tarkington, His Own People,
1907).

gaucho (ogwcho) SPANISH [probably
from Araucanian kaucu] noun (plural
gauchos, gowchoz) a cowboy of
the South American pampas, typically of mixed European and American Indian descent: "The boy was little
else than a young Gaucho when he first
came to Rockland; for he had learned
to ride almost as soon as to walk, and
could jump on his pony and trip up a
runaway pig with the bolas or noose
him with his miniature lasso at an age
when some city-children would hardly be
trusted out of sight of a nursery-maid"

(Oliver Wendell Holmes, Elsie Venner,
1859-60).

gaudeamus igitur (gowdeeahmoos
lg5toor) LATIN [let us rejoice therefore] interjection phrase let us therefore rejoice!

gavotte (gavot) FRENCH [from Old
Provencal gavot person from Gap, in
the French Alps] noun a dance of
French peasant origin, or the music to
accompany such a dance.

gazette (gazer, gazer) FRENCH [newspaper, from Italian gazetta, referring
to news sheets that were sold for the
price of a gazeta (a low-value Venetian
coin)] noun a newspaper, periodical,
or journal: "If it had concerned either
of the political parties, depend upon it, it
would have appeared in the Gazette with
the earliest intelligence" (Henry David
Thoreau, Walden, 1854).

gazpacho (gazacho) SPANISH noun
(plural gazpachos) a spicy Spanish soup prepared from tomatoes,
peppers, and other chopped raw
vegetables, usually served cold: "A
reaping-hook fits my hand better than
a governor's scepter; I'd rather have my
fill of gazpacho than be subject to the
misery of a meddling doctor..." (Miguel
de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote,
1605).

gefilte (gafit5) YIDDISH [stuffed, filled]
adjective stuffed (usually referring to gefilte fish, balls of minced fish cooked
in fish stock or tomato sauce).

gegenschein (giganshin) GERMAN
[counterglow, from gegen against and
Schein shine, light] noun a faint glow
in the sky that sometimes appears
opposite the sun, probably as the
result of sunlight reflecting on dust
particles.

geisha (g sha) JAPANESE [art person,
from gei art and sha person] noun (plural geisha or geishas) a Japanese
girl or woman who is specially trained
in the arts of conversation, song and
dance to provide entertaining company for men.

Gemini (inz) LATIN [twins] plural
noun (in astronom),) the Twins, a
constellation in the northern hemisphere, containing the stars Castor
and Pollux; (in astrolog),) the third
sign of the zodiac, occurring between
Taurus and Cancer.

gemutlich (gemootlik, gemootlish),
gemutlich GERMAN [pleasant, comfortable] adjective agreeable, friendly,
genial, sociable.

gendarme (zhan dahrm) FRENCH
[policeman, ultimately from gens
d'armes men of arms] noun (plural
gendarmes) a police officer (especiall), one in a French-speaking
country): "Burgo, when he first got to
the door leading out of the salon, had

paused a moment, and, turning round,
had encountered the big gendarme close
to him" (Anthon), Trollope, Can You
Forgive Her?, 1864). 'abbreviated form
gend.

gendarmerie (zhan(g)dahrmaree)
FRENCH [constabulary, derived from
gendarme policeman] noun a police
station, or the police force as a
whole (especiall), in a French-speaking country): "Mounted Gendarmerie
gallop distracted; are fired on merely
as a thing running; galloping over the
Pont Royal, or one knows not whither"
(Thomas Carl),le, History of the French
Revolution, 1837).

generalissimo (jen5r2lisimo) ITALIAN
[chief general, superlative of generale
general] noun (plural generalissimos)
the commander in chief of the combined armed forces or of two or more
armies: "Old-Dragoon Drouet is our engineer and generalissimo; valiant as a Ruy
Diaz: Now or never, ye Patriots, for the
Soldiery is coming; massacre by Austrians,
by Aristocrats, wars more than civil, it all
depends on you and the hour!" (Thomas
Carl),le, History of the French Revolution,
1837).

genesis 'en3sis) GREEK [gignesthai
to be born] noun (plural geneses,
.aseez) the beginning, origin, or
creation of something: "`Could you
not prevail to know the genesis of projection, as well as the continuation of it?'
Nature, meanwhile, had not waited for the discussion, but, right or wrong, bestowed
the impulse, and the balls rolled" (Ralph
Waldo Emerson, "Nature," 1836).

genie 'eenee) FRENCH [genie, from
Arabic jinni demon] noun (plural
genies, genii, .neei) a supernatural being of Arabian and Muslim
mythology, credited with the power
to cast spells, change shape, and perform magic; also used of anyone who
demonstrates an unusual talent to
grant wishes or get difficult things
done: I see him yet standing there like a
pigmy out of the Arabian Nights before the
huge front of some malignant genie. He
was daring destiny, and he was unafraid"
(Jack London, The Sea-Wolf, 1904).

genius 'eenyds, .nee3s) LATIN
[guardian spirit, inclination, from gignere to beget] noun (plural geniuses,
genii, geneei) the attendant spirit
of a place or person; by extension, any
unusual talent, ability or intellectual
capacity or the person who possesses
it: "Anne says Paul is a genius,'said Mrs.
Sloane. He may be. You never know what
to expect of them Americans,' said Mrs.
Andrews. Mrs. Andrews' only acquaintance
with the word `genius' was derived from the
colloquial fashion of calling any eccentric
individual a queer genius"' (Luc), Maud
Montgomery, Anne ofAvonlea, 1909).

genius loci (losee, lokee) LATIN [the
tuterlary deity of a place] noun phrase
(plural genii loci, jeeneei losee,
jeeneei lokee) the attendant spirit

of, or the pervading atmosphere or
associations of, a particular place: "He
was a soldier. His sudden appearance was
to darkness what the sound of a trumpet
is to silence. Gloom, the genius loci at all
times hitherto, was now totally overthrown,
less by the lantern-light than by what the
lantern lighted" (Thomas Hardy, Far
from the Madding Crowd, 1874).

genre (zhonra, zhahnra, pira) FRENCH
[kind, sort, gender] noun (plural
genres) a category, kind, style, or
species of artistic, literary, or other
creative work, or more generally any
genus, sort, or type. "His clothes were
new and the indescribable smartness of their
cut, a genre which had never been obtruded
on her notice before, astonished Mrs. Fyne,
who came out into the hall with her hat on;
for she was about to go out to hear a new
pianist (a girl) in a friend's house" (Joseph
Conrad, Chance, 1913).

genteel (jenteel, zhonteel) FRENCH
[from gentil gentle] adjective polite,
elegant, stylish, or aristocratic: "`True,
true.' said Joseph Poorgrass. The Balls were
always a very excitable family. I knowed
the boy's grandfathera truly nervous
and modest man, even to genteel refinery"
(Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding
Crowd, 1874).

genus eenas, jenas) LATIN [birth,
race, kind] noun (plural genuses, genera,.ara) a kind, class, or group
sharing identical or similar characteristics (especially living organisms): "Cats and lynxes belong to the genus
Felis."

geopolitik (jeeoolitik), Geopolitik
GERMAN [geopolitics] noun the
study of the influence of geography,
economy, and other forces upon politics and policies that are based upon
such considerations.

gesellschaft (gezelshahft) GERMAN
[companionship, society] noun (plural gesellschafts, gesellschaften) a
class of social integration based upon
impersonal relationships, or a society
constructed upon such relationships.

gesso 'eso) ITALIAN [gypsum] noun
(plural gessoes) a paste of plaster
of paris or gypsum used as a base
in-painting or gilding or in making
bas-reliefs.

gestalt (gashtalt, gashtolt, gastalt)
GERMAN [shape, form] noun (plural gestalts, gestalten, gashtaltan,
gasholtan, gastaltan) a structure or
pattern of biological, psychological,
or physical elements combining to
create something greater than the sum
of its constituent parts.

gestapo (gesiihpo, geSiO) GERMAN
[from Geheime Staatspolizei secret
state police] noun (plural gestapos)
a secret-police organization or other
covert agency suspected of underhand tactics, especially one sharing
similarities with the ruthless Gestapo police that operated in Nazi Germany: "The social service agency was
accused of behaving like the Gestapo,
splitting up families and causing much
needless distress."

gesundheit (gazunthit) GERMAN
[health] interjection a response wishing good health to someone who has
just sneezed.

geyser (gizer) ICELANDIC [after the
Geyser hot spring in Iceland, from
geysa to rush forth] a natural hot spring
from which hot water and steam
gushes periodically and, by extension,
a gas-operated hot-water heater: "Now,
unless the sandbank had been submitted to
the intermittent eruption of a geyser, the
Governor Higginson had to do neither more
nor less than with an aquatic mammal,
unknown till then, which threw up from
its blow-holes columns of water mixed with
air and vapour" (Jules Verne, 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea, 1869).

gharry (garee) HINDI [from gari horsedrawn cart] noun (plural gharries) a
horse-drawn cab or carriage of a type
traditionally used in India and other
countries.

ghat (gat), ghaut HINDI [from ghat]
noun in India, a flight of steps leading
down to the riverbank, used for bathing, cremations, and other rituals.

ghee (gee), ghi HINDI [from Sanskrit
ghrta, past participle of ghr to sprinkle] noun clarified liquid butter, as used
in Indian cuisine.

ghetto (geto) ITALIAN [Jewish quarter, from Venetian dialect gheto foundry,
referring to the section of Venice with
a foundry where most of Venice's Jews
were forced to live] noun (plural ghettos, ghettoes) a quarter of a city in
which members of the Jewish or other
minority community are obliged to
congregate for political, legal, economic, or other reasons: "He passed over
the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to
the masts of the ships. He passed over the
Ghetto, and saw the old Jews bargaining
with each other, and weighing out money in
copper scales" (Oscar Wilde, The Happy
Prince and Other Tales, 1888). Also used
more generally to refer to any slum
quarter.

ghi See GHEE.

ghoul (gool) ARABIC [from ghul] noun
in Arabian legend, an evil demon that
robs graves to feed on the dead; also
used more generally of any monster,
demon, or someone who has similar
characteristics or tastes: Do you suppose I eat like an ogre or a ghoul, that you
dread being the companion of my repast?"
(Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, 1847).

gigolo (jigalo, zhigalo) FRENCH [ladies'
man] noun (plural gigolos) a man
who dances with women for money,
or is paid or otherwise rewarded to

act as a companion, escort, or lover
of wealthy (typically older) women:
"As a young man he tried to make ends
meet by offering himself as a gigolo to the
bored wives of rich businessmen."

gigot (jigat, zheego) FRENCH [from
gigue fiddle, from its shape] noun (plural gigots, jigats, zheegoz) a leg of
meat (usually lamb or mutton).