The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (34 page)

gingham (inam) FRENCH [from
Malay genggang striped cloth] noun
dyed cotton fabric with a plain weave:
"The brown gingham and the blue print
will do you for school when you begin to
go" (Luc), Maud Montgomery, Anne of
Green Gables, 1908). 'adjective of or
relating to such fabric.

ginseng 'inseng, jinseng) CHINESE
[from ren man and shen herb] noun
the perennial herb (Panax schinseng or
Panax quinquefolius) having an aromatic
root with various purported medicinal properties.

giocoso (zheeakoso) ITALIAN [merry]
adverb in music, an instruction to
play a passage merrily or joyously.

girandole (jirandol) FRENCH [from
Italian girandola from late Latin gyrare
to gyrate] noun a revolving or radiating firework or jet of water, or alternatively an ornate candelabrum or
cluster design in jewelry: "Ingenious,'
remarked Hunsden; `whether true or not is another question. Meantime, don't you feel
your little lamp of a spirit wax very pale,
beside such a girandole as Lucia's?" (Charlotte Bronte, The Professor, 1857).

giro (jiro) ITALIAN [from Greek gyros
circuit] noun a European banking system that facilitates the direct
transfer of funds between account
holders without the transfer of actual
cash: "Payments will be made by giro to
reduce the risk of claimants getting their
money late."

gite (zheet), gite FRENCH [lodging]
noun a holiday home of the type
widely offered to visitors in rural
parts of France and other Frenchspeaking countries: "Last year we spent
the summer in a gite on the French
coast."

glace (glass) FRENCH [past participle
of glacer to freeze, to ice] adjective of
or relating to something that has a
glossy or glazed surface, as though frozen: "Maria Nikolaevna was dressed that
day very much to her advantage,' as our
grandmothers used to say. She wore a pink
glace silk dress, with sleeves a la Fontange,
and a big diamond in each ear" (Ivan Turgenev, Torrents of Spring, 1870).

glacis (glasee) FRENCH [slippery place,
from glacer to slip, ultimately from
Latin glacies ice] noun (plural glacises
or glacis, glaseez) a gentle downward slope from a fortification.

glasnost (glasnost) RUSSIAN [publicity, public information] noun official
government policy promoting unrestrained discussion of important issues
and freedom of news and information,
as adopted by the Soviet regime in the
I 980s: "The press demanded greater access
to secret government files, arguing that any
refusal would be tantamount to a denial
of the spirit of glasnost that the country's
leaders professed themselves to be so eager
to promote."

glaucoma (glowkoma, glokoma) LATIN
[cataract, from Greek glaucoma, from
glaukos bluish-gray] noun (in medicine) a disease of the eye in which
there is gradual loss of vision caused
by increased pressure on the optic
nerve: "My grandmother developed glaucoma and eventually lost her sight."

glissade (glis) FRENCH [slide, from
glisser to slip] noun in dancing, a sliding or gliding step as though on ice.
Also used to refer to an expanse of ice
on a mountainside: Along their track
lay the villages of the hill-folk-mud
and earth huts, the timbers now and then
rudely carved with an axe clinging like
swallows' nests against the steeps, huddled
on tiny flats half-way down a threethousand foot glissade (Rud),ard
Kipling, Kim, 1901).

glissando (glisando) ITALIAN [sliding,
from French glisser to slip, to slide]
noun (plural glissandos, glissandi, glisandee) in music, a rapid slide up
or down a scale. adjective of or relating to a passage of music to be played
in such a manner.

glockenspiel (glokanspeel, glokanshpeel) GERMAN [bell-play, from Glocke
bell and Spiel play] noun a musical
instrument in which tuned metal bars
are struck with two mallets.

gloire (glwah) FRENCH [glory] noun
glory, especially the glory of France
as a nation: "Thousands of French soldiers
were sacr)ced on the Somme in the cause
of 7a gloire,' there being little prospect
otherwise of any material gain."

gloria See GLORIA IN EXCELSIS; GLORIA PATRI.

Gloria in Excelsis (gloreea in ekschelsis, gloreea in ekselsis) LATIN [glory on
high] noun phrase a Christian prayer in
praise of God on high (the "greater doxology"). -abbreviated form gloria. Also,
a sacred musical setting of this prayer.

Gloria Patri (gloreea ~atree) LATIN
[glory to the Father] noun phrase a
Christian prayer in praise of God
the Father (the "lesser doxology").
'abbreviatedform gloria, G.P.

glossolalia (glosalleea) GREEK [from
glossa tongue and lalia talk] noun (plural
glossolalias) speaking in tongues,
the gift of tongues (as employed in
Pentecostal churches).

gnocchi (nokee, nTokee) ITALIAN
[plural of gnocco, from nocchio knot in
wood] plural noun a type of potato,
flour, or semolina dumplings, usually
served in sauce.

gnome (nom) GREEK [thought, from
gignoskein to know] noun (plural, gnomae, noml, or gnomes) a maxim,
adage, proverb, or aphorism.

gnomon (Homan) GREEK [interpreter,
from gignoskein to know] noun the
pointer on a sundial, or any pillar,
column, or shaft erected vertically
for similar purposes: "Exactly as the
gnomon of the official dial up in the
citadel pointed the second hour half gone,
the legion, in full panoply, and with all
its standards on exhibit, descended from
Mount Sulpius..." (Lew Wallace, Ben
Hur, 1880).

gnu (nun) KHOIKHOI [possibly after
the sound made by the animal] noun
(plural gnus or gnu) a large African
antelope with a long, oxlike head, a
mane and beard, and a long tufted
tail.

go (go) JAPANESE noun Japanese
board game played on a checkered
black-and-white board in which players attempt to gain control of the
greater area of territory.

goiter (goiter), goitre FRENCH [French
goitre, from Latin guttur throat] noun
enlargement of the thyroid gland, pro ducing a swelling in the front of the
neck and sometimes protrusion of the
eyes: "A deficiency of iodine in the diet can
lead to goiter."

golem (gollm,
go-115M) YIDDISH [from
goylem, fool, derived from Hebrew
golem shapeless mass] noun an artificial human being of Jewish legend,
usually described as a figure of clay
endowed with life through magic:
"The children's grandmother had been forbidden to frighten the children with tales
about the golem, but she was soon prevailed
upon to forget the injunction."

gondola (gondala) ITALIAN [Venetian
dialect, probably from Middle Greek
kontoura small vessel] noun a long,
narrow, flat-bottomed boat with a
high pointed prow and stern, as seen
on the canals of Venice: "The Venetian
gondola is as free and graceful, in its gliding movement, as a serpent. It is twenty or
thirty feet long, and is narrow and deep,
like a canoe; its sharp bow and stern sweep
upward from the water like the horns
of a crescent with the abruptness of the
curve slightly moded" (Mark Twain,
Innocents Abroad, 1869). Also applied
to the passenger compartment of an
airship or dirigible, which sometimes
bears a vague resemblance in shape
to the boats of Venice, and to the
enclosed cars suspended from cables
as on ski lifts.

gong (gong) MALAYSIAN [imitative
of the sound a gong makes] noun a

disk-shaped percussion instrument
that is struck with a padded hammer
to produce sound: "Oh, Timballoo! how
happy we are, / We live in a sieve and
a crockery jar! / And all night long, in
the starlight pale, / We sail away, with a
pea-green sail, / And whistle and warble
a moony song / To the echoing sound of a
coppery gong" (Louisa May Alcott, Eight
Cousins, 1875).

Gotterdammerung (gertadamarung),
gOtterdammerung GERMAN [twilight of the gods, the title of the climactic opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle]
noun (plural Gotterdammerungen,
gertadamarungan) the end of the
world, or the total collapse of a political, social or economic system, with
its accompanying chaos.

gouache (gwahsh) FRENCH [from Italian guazzo, puddle] noun in art, a
technique of painting with opaque
water-soluble pigment, a picture
painted with such pigment or the pigment itself: "Lydie, who had been taught
music by Schmucke, was herself a musician
capable of composing; she could wash in a
sepia drawing, and paint in gouache and
water-color" (Honore de Balzac, Scenes
from a Courtesan's Life, 1839-47).

goujon ( ogozhon(g) FRENCH [from
Latin gobius gob)] noun a strip of fish
or chicken, usually deep-fried.

goulash ogolash) HUNGARIAN [from
gulyashus herdsman's meat] noun a highly seasoned meat and vegetable
stew: "She prepared them a hearty goulash, conscious that it might be days before
they ate their next hot meal."

gourmand (goormond, goormond)
FRENCH [greedy, gluttonous, from
Middle French gourmant] noun a
glutton, a person who loves food
and drink to excess: "Look at your
knife-handle, there, my civilized and
enlightened gourmand, dining off that
roast beef, what is that handle made
of? what but the bones of the brother
of the very ox you are eating?" (Herman
Melville, Moby Dick, 1851). -noun,
feminine gourmande (plural gourmandes).

gourmandise (goormondeeZ) FRENCH
[from gourmand] noun gluttony, or
appreciation of and indulgence in
good food and drink: "`Oh, if I was
permitted a vice it would be the gourmandise!' Could I resist that? No. I gave
her a gooseberry" (Mark Twain, Horse's
Tale, 1907).

gourmet (goor) FRENCH [from
groumet wine taster] noun an epicure, a connoisseur of food and
drink: "Indeed, when she had her own
supper, she joined the Kennicotts, and how
ludicrous it was to suppose that Maud was
a gourmet of emotions Carol saw in the
fact that she talked not to one of the town
beaux but to the safe Kennicott himself.!"
(Sinclair Lewis, Main Street, 1920).

-adjective of or relating to fine food
and drink or to a person with an
interest in and knowledge of good
food and drink.

goy (goi) YIDDISH [from Hebrew goy
people, nation] noun (plural goys or
goyim, goim) a derogatory term
for a non-Jew or Gentile: "Relentless
persecution of Jews, century after century,
in nation after nation, left a legacy of bitter sayings: 'Dos ken nor a goy' (`That, only
a goy is capable of doing')" (L. Rosten,
TheJoys of Yiddish, 1968).

G.P See GLORIA PATRI; GRAND PRIX.

gracias (graseeas, grathids) SPANISH
[thanks] noun thank you: "She seemed
the incarnation of girlish scorn and wilful
passion. `Gracias, senor,' she replied, mockingly. Adios.' Then she flashed out of his
sight" (Zane Grey, Desert Gold, 1913).

gracioso (graseeoso) SPANISH [agreeable, amusing] noun (plural graciosos)
a buffoon or clown in traditional
Spanish comedy.

gradatim (grad4tim, grayitim)
LATIN [by steps] adverb by degrees,
gradually.

Graf (grahf) GERMAN [count] noun
(plural Grafen, giihfi.n) a rank of
German nobility: "Graf von Ferdinand
Zeppelin was a well-known pioneer offlight.'
-noun, feminine Grafn (grahfan).

graffiti (grafeetee) ITALIAN [plural of
graffito, from graffiare to scratch] plural
noun words or symbols painted, written or incised on a wall or other surface
(usually one in general public view):
"No one knewfor certain who was responsible
for the graffiti on the lavatory door, but several people had their suspicions."

grand coup (gron(g) koo) FRENCH
[big blow] noun phrase (plural Brands
coups) a bold move or decisive
stroke: "The acquisition of the company
by its main rivals was a stunning grand
coup that took the markets entirely by
surprise" See also coup.

grand cru (gron(g) kroo) FRENCH
[great vintage] noun phrase (plural
grands crus) fine wine, wine of
superior quality.

grande cuisine (grond kwizeen)
FRENCH [grand cooking] noun phrase
high quality or fashionable cooking: "It
was a meal in the best traditions of French
grand cuisine, with the best ingredients
and mouth-watering sauces."

grande dame (grond dahm) FRENCH
[great lady] noun phrase (plural
grandes dames, grond dahms) a
mature woman of considerable
status or influence, typically of
distinguished bearing and noble
birth: "Still she did not forget that
Anna, her sister-in-law, was the wife of
one of the most important personages in Petersburg, and was a Petersburg grande
dame" (Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina,
1874-76).

grandee (grandee) SPANISH [from
grande great, large] noun a highranking nobleman, originally of Spanish or Portuguese society but now used
more widely of any high-ranking or
influential person: "I was bound to see
more of him, so I invited him to come out
to Marco's Sunday, and dine with us. Marco
was appalled, and held his breath: and when
the grandee accepted, he was so grateful that
he almost forgot to be astonished at the condescension" (Mark Twain, A Connecticut
Yankee in King Arthur's Court, 1889).

grande passion (grond asyon(g)
FRENCH [grand passion] noun phrase
(plural grandes passions) an intense
love affair or overwhelming passion
for someone or something: "But a really
grande passion is comparatively rare nowadays. It is the privilege of people who have
nothing to do" (Oscar Wilde, A Woman of
No Importance, 1893).

Grand Guignol (gron(g) ginrol)
FRENCH [great punch, after the Grand
Guignol Theater, Paris] noun phrase a
melodramatic style of theatrical entertainment of particularly bloody or
gruesome character.

grandioso (grandeeoso) ITALIAN [from
Latin grandis grand] adverb in music, to
be played in a majestic, broad manner. -adjective of or relating to music of an
imposing, noble style.

grand jete (gron(g) jai) FRENCH
[big leap] noun phrase (plural Brands
jetes) in ballet, a big jump or leap
(occasionally used more widely of any
major advance or move): "He completed
his solo with a grand jete performed with
apparently effortless ease."