Etymology dictionary
garble (n.) — gaudily (adv.)
garble (n.)
c. 1500 of spices; by 1829 of language; from garble (v.).
garble (v.)
early 15c., "to inspect and remove the dirt and dross from (spices)," from Anglo-French garbeler "to sift" (late 14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin, Catalan, and Italian garbellare, from Arabic gharbal "to sift," related to kirbal "sieve," which perhaps is from Late Latin cribellum, diminutive of Latin cribrum "sieve" (from PIE root *krei- "to sieve"). Apparently the word was widespread among Mediterranean traders (compare Italian garbellare, Spanish garbillare "to sift grain").
From late 15c. in a general sense of "sort out the finer parts" of anything, "removal of what is objectionable," then "distort for some devious purpose or to give false impression;" especially "mix up, confuse or distort language" (1680s). Related: Garbled; garbling. In Middle English garbeler (Anglo-French garbelour) meant "official who garbles spices and sometimes also other dry goods" (early 15c.); it is attested from 1690s as "one who mixes up or mutilates words or language."
Garbo
screen surname of Swedish actress Greta Gustaffson (1905-1990); her name was used allusively to indicate aloofness by 1934; her legendary avoidance of publicity began with her retirement from films in the mid-40s. Related: Garbo-esque.
garcon (n.)
c. 1300, "a boy, a youth" (early 13c. as a surname), from Old French garçun "menial, servant-boy, page; man of base condition," ["in jocular use, 'lad'" - OED]; objective case of gars (11c.; Modern French garçon "boy, bachelor, single man; waiter, porter"). This comes, perhaps via Gallo-Romance, from Frankish *wrakjo- or another Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *wrakjon (source also of Old High German recko, Old Saxon wrekkio "a banished person, exile;" English wretch). From c. 1400 as "young male servant, squire, page." Meaning "a waiter" (especially one in a French restaurant) is a reborrowing from 1788.
gardener (n.)
late 13c. (early 12c. as a surname), from Old North French *gardinier (Old French jardineor "gardener," 12c., Modern French jardinier), from gardin "(kitchen) garden" (see garden (n.)). Compare German Gärtner. An Old English word for it was wyrtweard, literally "plant-guard."
garden (n.)
late 13c. (late 12c. in surnames), from Old North French gardin "(kitchen) garden; orchard; palace grounds" (Old French jardin, 13c., Modern French jardin), from Vulgar Latin *hortus gardinus "enclosed garden," via Frankish *gardo or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *gardan- (source also of Old Frisian garda, Old Saxon gardo, Old High German garto, German Garten "a garden," Old English geard, Gothic gards "enclosure"), from PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose." Italian giardino, Spanish jardin are from French.
As an adjective from c. 1600. Garden-party "company attending an entertainment on the lawn or garden of a private house" is by 1843. Garden-variety in figurative sense first recorded 1928. To lead someone up the garden path "entice, deceive" is attested by 1925. Garden-glass "round dark glass reflective globe (about a foot and a half across) placed on a pedestal, used as a garden ornament," is from 1842.
gardening (n.)
1570s, verbal noun from garden (v.).
garden (v.)
"to lay out and cultivate a garden," 1570s, from garden (n.). Related: Gardened; gardening.
gardenia (n.)
shrub genus, 1757, Modern Latin, named for Scottish-born American naturalist Dr. Alexander Garden (1730-1791), Vice President of the Royal Society, + abstract noun ending -ia.
garderobe (n.)
also garde-robe, "wardrobe," early 14c., from Old French garderobe "wardrobe; alcove; dressing-room" (Old North French warderobe; see wardrobe).
gare (n.)
French for "train station," 1840 in French, from earlier sense "river port, pier" (17c.), verbal noun from garer "to (supply with) shelter," in Middle French also "to dock ships" (see garage (n.)).
garfish (n.)
mid-15c., from gar + fish (n.).
gargantuan (adj.)
"enormous," 1590s, from Gargantua, name of the voracious giant in Rabelais' novels, supposedly from Spanish/Portuguese garganta "gullet, throat," which is from the same imitative root as gargle (v.).
gargle (n.)
1650s, "liquid used in gargling," from gargle (v.).
gargle (v.)
1520s, from French gargouiller "to gurgle, bubble" (14c.), from Old French gargole "throat, waterspout," which is perhaps from garg-, imitative of throat sounds, + *goule, dialect word for "mouth," from Latin gula "throat." Related: Gargled; gargling. The earlier, native, form of the word was Middle English gargarize (early 15c.), from Latin gargarizare, from Greek gargarizein.
gargoyle (n.)
"grotesque carved waterspout," connected to the gutter of a building to throw down water clear of the wall, common in 13c.-16c. buildings; late 13c., gargoile, also garguile, gargule, etc., "carved mouth of a rain spout, a gargoyle," from Old French gargole, gargoule "throat;" also "carved downspout," in the form of a serpent or some other fanciful shape, also from Medieval Latin gargola, gargulio (see gargle (v.)). "An archaic spelling, retained in books; better gargoil or, in more modern form gargel" [Century Dictionary].
Gary
masc. proper name, also a surname, from Norman form of Old Norse geiri, Old Danish geri "spear" (see gar).
Garibaldi
1862, blouse worn by women in imitation of red shirts worn by followers of Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882), liberator of Italy.
garish (adj.)
"showy, dazzling," especially "glaringly vulgar and gaudy," 1540s, of unknown origin, possibly from obsolete Middle English gawren "to stare" (c. 1200), which is of uncertain origin (perhaps from Old Norse gaurr "rough fellow") + -ish. Related: Garishly; garishness.
garland (v.)
early 15c., "to make a garland;" 1590s, "to crown with a garland," from garland (n.). Related: Garlanded; garlanding.
garland (n.)
c. 1300 (mid-13c. in Anglo-Latin), "wreath of flowers," also "crown of gold or silver," from Old French garlande "garland," probably from a Frankish frequentative form of *weron "adorn, bedeck," from *wiara-, *weara- "wire" (on the notion of "ornament of refined gold," properly "of twisted gold wire"), from Proto-Germanic *wira-, *wera-, suffixed form of PIE root *wei- "to turn, twist." Compare Middle High German wieren "adorn, bedeck." The word is found in many forms in the Romanic language, such as Old Spanish guarlanda, French guirlande, Italian ghirlanda, Portuguese grinalda.
garlic (n.)
"onion like bulbous plant allied to the leek, known to the ancients and much used in cookery," Middle English garlek, from Old English garlec (West Saxon), garleac (Mercian), "garlic," from gar "spear" (in reference to the clove), see gar, + leac "leek" (see leek). Garlic-bread is attested by 1947.
garlicky (adj.)
1775, from garlic + -y (2). The -k- perhaps to preserve the hard -c-, but garlick was a former alternative spelling.
garment (n.)
c. 1400, "any article of clothing," reduced form of garnement (early 14c.), from Old French garnement "garment, attire, clothes" (12c.), from garnir "fit out, provide, adorn," from a Germanic source (compare garnish (v.)), from PIE root *wer- (4) "to cover."
garner (n.)
"a granary," late 12c., gerner, from Old French gernier, metathesized variant of grenier "storehouse, loft for grain," from Latin granarium (usually plural, granaria) "store-house for grain," from granum "grain," from PIE root *gre-no- "grain."
garner (v.)
late 15c., "to store grain," from garner (n.). Related: Garnered; garnering.
garnet (n.)
mid-15c., metathesized form of gernet "the gem garnet" (early 14c.), from Old French grenate, gernatte, granate "garnet," also an adjective, "of a dark red color," from Medieval Latin granatum "garnet; of dark red color," perhaps abstracted from the Medieval Latin or Old French words for pomegranate, from the stone's resemblance either to the shape of the seeds or the color of the pulp. Or the word might be from Medieval Latin granum "grain," in its sense of "cochineal, red dye." A widespread word: Spanish and Portuguese granate, Italian granato, Dutch granaat, German Granat.
garnish (v.)
late 14c., "to decorate, adorn, beautify," also in Middle English "equip (a place) for defense; arm (oneself) for battle; prepare to defend," from Old French garniss-, present-participle stem of garnir "provide, furnish; fortify, reinforce" (11c.), from Frankish *warnjan, from Proto-Germanic *warnon "be cautious, guard, provide for" (source also of Old High German warnon "to take heed," Old English warnian "to take warning, beware;" see warn), from PIE root *wer- (4) "to cover."
Sense evolution is from "arm oneself" to "fit out" to "embellish," which was the earliest meaning in English. Culinary sense of "to decorate a dish for the table" predominated after c. 1700. Older meaning survives in legal sense of "to warn or serve notice of attachment of funds" (1570s). Related: Garnished; garnishing.
garnishment (n.)
1550s, "embellishment, adornment, decoration," from garnish (v.) + -ment. Legal financial sense from 17c. The verbal noun garnishing also was used in the sense "ornament, that which decorates" (late 14c.).
garnish (n.)
late 14c., "set of tableware" (probably a dozen; usually pewter), from garnish (v.). Sense of "embellishments to food" is from 1670s.
garnishee (n.)
"one who owes debts and has been warned legally to not pay money or transfer property which has been awarded to his creditor," 1620s, from garnish (v.) in the legal sense + -ee.
garret (n.)
c. 1300, garite, "turret, small tower on the roof of a house or castle," from Old French garite "watchtower, place of refuge, shelter, lookout," from garir "defend, preserve," which is from a Germanic source (compare Old English warian "to hold, defend," Gothic warjan "forbid," Old High German warjan "to defend"), from Proto-Germanic *warjan, from PIE root *wer- (4) "to cover." Meaning "room on uppermost floor of a house," especially a room with a sloping roof, is from early 14c. See attic. As the typical wretched abode of a poor poet, by mid-18c.
Garrett
surname, from mid-13c., from Gerald or Gerard, with loss of consonant.
garrison (v.)
"to place troops in," 1560s, from garrison (n.). Related: Garrisoned; garrisoning.
garrison (n.)
c. 1300, "store, treasure," from Old French garison "defense, protection, safety, security; crops, food; salvation; healing, recovery, cure" (Modern French guérison "cure, recovery, healing") from garir "take care of, protect, defend," from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *war- "to protect, guard," from PIE root *wer- (4) "to cover."
Meaning "fortified stronghold" is from early 15c.; that of "body of troops in a fortress" is from mid-15c., a sense taken over from Middle English garnison "body of armed men stationed in a fort or town to guard it" (late 14c.), from Old French garnison "provision, munitions," from garnir "to furnish, provide" (see garnish (v.)).
garrote (n.)
also garrotte, 1620s, "Spanish method of capital punishment by strangulation," from Spanish garrote "stick for twisting cord" (the method used in the execution), of unknown origin. Perhaps from Old French guaroc "club, stick, rod, shaft of a crossbow," probably ultimately Celtic, but possibly from Frankish *wrokkan "to twist" (cognate with Middle Dutch wroken "to twist").
garrot (n.)
kind of sea-duck, 1829, from French garrot (1757), a word of unknown origin.
garrote (v.)
"to execute with a garrote," 1845, from garrote (n.); sense of "choke senseless and then rob" is from 1852. Related: Garotted; garotting.
garrulous (adj.)
1610s, from Latin garrulus "talkative, chattering," from garrire "to chatter," from PIE root *gar- "to call, cry," of imitative origin (compare Greek gerys "voice, sound," Ossetic zar "song," Welsh garm, Old Irish gairm "noise, cry"). Related: Garrulously; garrulousness.
garrulity (n.)
1580s, from French garrulité, from Latin garrulitatem (nominative garrulitas) "chattering, loquacity," from garrulus "talkative" (see garrulous).
garter (n.)
"tie or fastening to keep a stocking in place on the leg," early 14c., from Old North French gartier "band just above or below the knee" (Old French jartier, 14c., Modern French jarretière), from garet/jaret "bend of the knee," perhaps from Gaulish (compare Welsh garr "leg").
Garter in reference to the highest order of knighthood (mid-14c.) is from the Order of the Garter, the earliest records of which are entirely lost, but which according to Froissart was established c. 1344 by Edward III, though the usual story of how it came about is late (1614) and perhaps apocryphal. Garter-snake (1773) said to be so called from some fancied resemblance to a ribbon. Garter belt attested by 1913.
garter (v.)
mid-15c., from garter (n.). Related: Gartered; gartering.
garth (n.)
"small piece of enclosed ground," a northern and western English dialect word, mid-14c., from Old Norse garðr "yard, courtyard, fence," cognate of Old English geard "fenced enclosure," from PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose."
Gascon
"native of Gascony," late 14c., from French Gascon, from Vulgar Latin *Wasco, from Latin Vasco, singular of Vascones, the name of the ancient inhabitants of the Pyrénées (see Basque). Among the French, proverbially a boastful people, hence gasconade (n.), "bragging talk" (1709).
gasconade (n.)
"a boast, boastful talk, bluster," 1709, from French gasconade (see Gascon + -ade); from gasconner (16c.) "to boast, brag," literally "to talk like a Gascon." As a verb in English from 1727.
gaselier (n.)
"gas-burning chandelier," 1849, from gas (n.1) on model of chandelier.
gaseous (adj.)
"in the form of a gas," 1799, from gas (n.) + -ous. Related: Gaseousness.
gas-guzzler (n.)
car with low fuel-efficiency, 1973, American English, from gas (short for gasoline) + guzzler.
gash (v.)
1560s, alteration of older garsh, from Middle English garsen (late 14c.), from Old North French garser "to cut, slash" (see gash (n.)). For loss of -r-, see cuss (v.). Related: Gashed; gashing.
gash (n.)
1540s, an alteration of Middle English garce "a gash, cut, wound, incision" (early 13c.), from Old North French garser "to scarify, cut, slash" (Old French *garse), apparently from Vulgar Latin *charassare, from Greek kharassein "engrave, sharpen, carve, cut" (from PIE *gher- (4) "to scrape, scratch;" see character). The loss of -r- is characteristic (see cuss (v.)). Slang use for "vulva" dates to mid-1700s. Provincial English has a set of words (gashly, gashful, etc.) with forms from gash but senses from gast- "dreadful, frightful."
gas-house (n.)
also gashouse, 1880 as a power-generating station, from gas (n.1) + house (n.). By 1926, emblematic of a run-down district of a U.S. city, a typical abode of criminals and gangsters.
gasket (n.)
1620s, caskette, originally nautical, "small rope or plaited coil" used to secure a furled sail, of uncertain origin, perhaps from French garcette "a gasket," literally "little girl, maidservant," diminutive of Old French garce "young woman, young girl; whore, harlot, concubine" (13c.), fem. of garçon (see garcon). Century Dictionary notes Spanish garcette "a gasket," also "hair which falls in locks." Machinery sense of "packing (originally of braided hemp) to seal metal joints and pistons" first recorded 1829.
gaslight (n.)
also gas-light, "light, or a provision for light, produced by combustion of coal gas; a gas-jet," 1808, from (illuminating) gas (n.1) + light (n.). Used through the 19th and into the early 20th century as street and domestic lighting. Related: Gas-lighted; gas-lighting; gaslighting.
As a verb meaning "to deliberately make a person believe that they are insane," by 1961, perhaps 1956. This sense is from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a 19th century woman (played by Ingrid Bergman, who won an Academy Award) appears to be going mad. It is later revealed that her criminal husband has been convincing her that she is insane in order to discredit her observations of his activities. Among the observable clues has been the dimming of their home's gaslighting whenever (as she later learns) the husband goes secretly into the attic: he has convinced her that she is imagining this, until a family friend sees it, too, which confirms the clue that uncovers the crime.
The word seems to have received a boost in feminist literature in late 1970s.
The sense evolved by 2016 to also mean "dismiss or discredit someone's viewpoint."
gas-mask (n.)
1915, from (poison) gas (n.1) + mask (n.).
gasohol (n.)
gasoline and ethanol mixture, 1975, from gasoline + (ethyl) alcohol.
gasoline (n.)
"light, volatile liquid obtained from distillation of petroleum," 1864, a variant of gasolene (from 1863 in Britain), which apparently was a trade name at first, from gas (n.1) in its then-popular loose sense of "compound of gases used for illuminating and heating purposes;" the -ol probably here represents Latin oleum "oil" and the ending is from the chemical suffix -ine (2). Shortened form gas was in common use in U.S. by 1897. Gas station as a fuel filling station for automobiles recorded by 1924.
gasometer (n.)
1790, from gas (n.1) + -meter. Originally an instrument for measuring gases; as this also involves collecting and storing them, it came also to be used for "a storehouse for gas." Related: Gasometric; gasometry.
gasp (v.)
late 14c., gaspen, "open the mouth wide; exhale," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse geispa "to yawn," or its Danish cognate gispe "gasp," which probably are related to Old Norse gapa "open the mouth wide" (see gap (n.)). Related: Gasped; gasping.
gasp (n.)
1570s, from gasp (v.). Earliest attested use is in the phrase last gasp "final breath before dying." To gasp up the ghost "die" is attested from 1530s.
gassy (adj.)
1757, from gas (n.1) + -y (2). Related: Gassily; gassiness.
gast (adj.)
"animal which does not produce in season," 1729, an East Anglian dialect word, perhaps from or related to Middle Dutch gast "barren soil."
gastrectomy (n.)
1881, from gastro- "stomach" + -ectomy "a cutting out."
gastric (adj.)
1650s, from Modern Latin gastricus, from Greek gastēr (genitive gastros) "stomach, paunch, belly," often figurative of gluttony or greed, also "womb, uterus; sausage," by dissimilation from *graster, literally "eater, devourer," from gran "to gnaw, eat," from PIE root *gras- "to devour" (source also of Greek grastis "green fodder," Latin gramen "fodder, grass," Old English cærse "cress").
gastritis (n.)
1806, medical Latin, from gastro- "stomach" + -itis "inflammation." Coined by French pathologist François-Boissier de la Croix de Sauvages (1706-1767).
gastro-
also gastero-, before vowels gastr-, scientific word-forming element meaning "stomach," from Greek gastro-, combining form of gastēr (genitive gastros) "belly, paunch; womb" (see gastric). Also used in compounds in ancient Greek, as gastrobarys "heavy with child."
gastrocnemius (n.)
1670s, from Latinized form of Greek gastroknemia "calf of the leg," from gastēr "belly" (see gastric) + kneme "calf of the leg," from PIE *kone-mo- "shin, leg-bone" (see ham (n.1)). So called for its form (the "protuberant" part of the calf of the leg). Related: Gastrocnemical.
gastro-enteritis (n.)
also gastroenteritis, 1823, from gastro- + enteritis. Related: Gastro-enteric.
gastro-enterology (n.)
also gastroenterology, 1904, from gastro- + enterology, from Greek enteron "an intestine, piece of gut" (see enteric). Related: Gastroenterologist.
gastro-intestinal (adj.)
also gastrointestinal, 1821, from gastro- + intestinal.
gastrolator (n.)
"belly-worshipper; one whose god is his own belly," 1690s, from gastro- + Greek -latros "serving" (see -latry). Perhaps modeled on French gastrolatre. Related: Gastrolatrous.
gastrolith (n.)
1854, from German Gastrolith (by 1843) or Modern Latin gastrolithus, from gastro- "stomach" + -lith "stone."
gastrology (n.)
"cooking, good eating," 1810, from gastro- "stomach" + -logy. Compare gastronomy. Gastrologia was the title of a lost work by Archestratus.
gastronomic (adj.)
1817, from French gastronomique, from gastronomie (see gastronomy). Related: Gastronomical; gastronomically.
gastronome (n.)
"a judge of the arts of cookery," 1823, from French gastronome, a back-formation from gastronomie (see gastronomy). Alternative gastronomer is recorded from 1820.
gastronomy (n.)
1814, from French gastronomie, coined 1800 by Joseph de Berchoux (1762-1838) as title of poem on good living, after Gastrologia, title of a now-lost poem of antiquity, quoted by Athenaeus (see gastrology). Berchoux's word is from gastēr "stomach" + nomos "rule, law" (see -nomy). Related: Gastronomer.
gastropod (n.)
1826, gasteropod (spelling without -e- by 1854), from Modern Latin Gasteropoda, name of a class of mollusks, from Greek gastēr (genitive gastros) "stomach" (see gastric) + pous (genitive podos) "foot" (from PIE root *ped- "foot"). From the ventral position of the mollusk's "foot."
gastrula (n.)
1874, a Modern Latin coinage (Haeckel), from Latin gaster, from Greek gastēr (genitive gastros) "stomach" (see gastric) + Latin -ula, diminutive suffix. Related: Gastrular; gastrulation.
gat (n.)
"revolver," 1904, slang shortening of Gatling gun; by 1880, gatlin was slang for a gun of any sort.
-gate
suffix attached to any word to indicate "scandal involving," 1973, abstracted from Watergate, the Washington, D.C., building complex that was home of the National Headquarters of the Democratic Party when it was burglarized June 17, 1972, by operatives later found to be working for the staff and re-election campaign of U.S. President Richard Nixon.
gate (v.)
"provide with a gate," 1906, from gate (n.). Originally of moulds. Related: Gated (1620s). Gated community recorded by 1989 (earliest reference to Emerald Bay, Laguna Beach, Calif.).
gate (n.)
"opening, entrance," Old English geat (plural geatu) "gate, door, opening, passage, hinged framework barrier," from Proto-Germanic *gatan (source also of Old Norse gat "opening, passage," Old Saxon gat "eye of a needle, hole," Old Frisian gat "hole, opening," Dutch gat "gap, hole, breach," German Gasse "street, lane, alley"), of unknown origin. Meaning "money collected from selling tickets" dates from 1896 (short for gate money, 1820). Gate-crasher is from 1926 as "uninvited party guest;" 1925 in reference to motorists who run railway gates. Finnish katu, Lettish gatua "street" are Germanic loan-words.
gateau (n.)
1845, from French gâteau "cake," from Old French gastel, from Frankish *wastil "cake," from Proto-Germanic *was-tilaz, from PIE *wes- (5) "to eat, consume."
gate-house (n.)
also gatehouse, "house for a gatekeeper," late 14c., from gate (n.) + house (n.).
gate-keeper (n.)
also gatekeeper, 1570s, from gate (n.) + keeper. Figurative use by 1872.
gateway (n.)
"passage, entrance," 1707, from gate (n.) + way (n.). Figurative use from 1842.
gather (v.)
Old English gadrian, gædrian "unite, agree, assemble; gather, collect, store up" (transitive and intransitive), used of flowers, thoughts, persons; from Proto-Germanic *gaduron "come or bring together, unite" (source also of Old English gæd "fellowship, companionship," gædeling "companion;" Middle Low German gadderen; Old Frisian gaderia; Dutch gaderen "to gather," gade "spouse;" German Gatte "husband;" Gothic gadiliggs), perhaps from PIE *ghedh- "to unite, join" (see good (adj.)). Change of spelling from -d- to -th- is 1500s, reflecting earlier change in pronunciation (as in father). Related: Gathered; gathering.
gatherer (n.)
c. 1200, agent noun from gather.
gathering (n.)
mid-12c., gadering, "an assembly of people, act of coming together," from late Old English gaderung "a gathering together, union, collection, assembly," verbal noun from gather (v.).
gather (n.)
"plait or fold in cloth," 1660s, from gather (v.).
Gatling gun (n.)
1864, named for its designer, U.S. inventor Richard Jordan Gatling (1818-1903); patented by 1862 but not used in American Civil War until the Petersburg campaign of June 1864 as an independent initiative by U.S. Gen. Ben Butler.
gator (n.)
1844, colloquial shortening of alligator.
GATT
1947, acronym from General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
gau (n.)
ancient German territorial and administrative division, originally comprising several villages, from Old High German gawi, from Proto-Germanic *gauja-, which is of uncertain origin. surviving in place names such as Breisgau and Oberammergau; also in gauleiter (with leiter "leader"), title of the local political leaders under the Nazi system. Compare the first element in yeoman.
gauche (adj.)
"awkward, tactless," 1751 (Chesterfield), from French gauche "left" (15c., replacing senestre in that sense), originally "awkward, awry," from gauchir "turn aside, swerve," from Proto-Germanic *wankjan (source also of Old High German wankon, Old Norse vakka "to stagger, totter"), from PIE *weng- "to bend, curve" (see wink (v.)).
gaucherie (n.)
"an awkward action; awkwardness," 1798, from French gaucherie, from gauche (see gauche).
gaucho (n.)
"a Spanish-descended native of the pampas," 1824, guacho, from Spanish gaucho, probably from a native South American language. Compare Araucanian (native language spoken in part of Chile) cauchu "wanderer." Noted for their independence and skill in horsemanship and with the lasso.
gaud (n.)
early 15c., "a bauble, trinket," earlier "a large, ornamental bead in a rosary" (mid-14c.), probably mistakenly taken as singular of earlier gaudy (n.) "large, ornamental rosary bead" (early 14c., in plural form gaudeez), later "ornamentation" generally (late 14c.), which is from Medieval Latin gaudia and Old French gaudie "joy, pleasure, playfulness; a piece of showy finery, a flashy trinket," from Latin gaudium "joy," gaude "rejoice thou" (in hymns), from gaudere "rejoice" (see joy (n.), and compare jewel (n.)).
Also in Middle English "a jest, prank, trick" (late 14c.); "a deception, fraud, artifice" (mid-14c.). As a verb, "to furnish with gauds," from late 14c. Related: Gauded; gauding; gaudful; gaudless.
gaudery (n.)
"showy decoration," 1590s, from gaud (n.) + -ery.
gaudiness (n.)
gaudy (adj.)
"showy, tastelessly rich," c. 1600; earlier "joyfully festive" (1580s), probably a re-adjectivizing of gaudy (n.) "large, ornamental bead in a rosary" (early 14c.) via the noun gaud + -y (2.). In early Modern English it also could mean "full of trickery" (1520s).
Or possibly the adjective is from or influenced by Middle English noun gaudegrene (early 14c.), name of a yellowish-green color or pigment, originally of dye obtained from the weld plant (see weld (n.1)). This Germanic plant-name became gaude in Old French, and thus the Middle English word. Under this theory, the sense shifted from "weld-dye" to "bright ornamentation."
As a noun, "feast, festival" 1650s, from gaudy day "day of rejoicing" (1560s).