Etymology dictionary
growler (n.) — guinea (n.)
growler (n.)
"pitcher or other vessel for beer," 1885, American English slang, of uncertain origin; apparently an agent noun from growl (v.). The thing itself owes its popularity to laws prohibiting sale of liquor on Sundays and thus the tippler's need to stock up. Also in early use in the expression work the growler "go on a spree." Also late 19c. slang for a four-wheeled cab.
grown (adj.)
late 14c., "increased in growth," past-participle adjective from grow (v.). Meaning "arrived at full growth, mature" is from 1640s.
grown-up (adj.)
"mature," late 14c., past-participle adjective from grow up. The noun meaning "adult person" is from 1813, short for grown-up person, etc.
growse (v.)
"shiver, have a chill," Northern England dialect, probably from an unrecorded Old English equivalent to Old High German gruwison "be in terror, shudder," German grausen (see gruesome).
growse (n.)
obsolete spelling of grouse (n.).
growth (n.)
1550s, "stage in growing," from grow + -th (2), on model of health, stealth, etc. Compare Old Norse groði, from groa "to grow." Meaning "that which has grown" is from 1570s; "process of growing" is from 1580s. Old English used grownes "increase, prosperity."
grow up (v.)
"advance toward maturity," 1530s, from grow (v.) + up (adv.). As a command to be sensible, from 1951.
groyne (n.)
"strong, low sea wall," 1580s, perhaps from obsolete groin "pig's snout" (c. 1300; the wall so called because it was thought to look like one), from Old French groin "muzzle, snout; promontory, jutting part," from Latin grunnire "to grunt" (compare English colloquial grunter "a pig").
grub (v.)
c. 1300, "dig in the ground," from hypothetical Old English *grybban, *grubbian, from West Germanic *grubbjan (source also of Middle Dutch grobben, Old High German grubilon "to dig, search," German grübeln "to meditate, ponder"), from PIE *ghrebh- (2) "to dig, bury, scratch" (see grave (n.)). Transitive sense "dig up by the roots" is from 1550s. Related: Grubbed; grubbing.
grub (n.)
"larva of an insect," early 15c., perhaps from grub (v.) on the notion of "digging insect," or from the possibly unrelated Middle English grub "dwarfish fellow" (c. 1400). Meaning "dull drudge" is 1650s. The slang sense of "food" is first recorded 1650s, said to be from birds eating grubs, but also often linked with bub "drink."
grubber (n.)
"digger," late 13c. as a surname; 1590s as a tool, agent noun from grub (v.). Meaning "one who gets wealth contemptibly" is from 1570s.
grubby (adj.)
"dirty," by 1845, from grub (n.) in a sense of "dirty child" (who presumably got that way from digging in earth) + -y (2). Earlier it was used in a sense of "stunted, dwarfish" (1610s) and "infested with grubs" (1725). Related: Grubbily; grubbiness.
grubelsucht (n.)
1876, from German Grübelsucht, psychiatric term for "a form of obsession in which even the simplest facts are compulsively queried" [OED], from grübeln "to brood" (see grub (v.)) + sucht "mania."
grub-stake (n.)
also grubstake, "material, provisions, etc. supplied to an enterprise (originally a prospector) in return for a share in the profits," by 1876, American English western mining slang, from grub (n.) + stake (n.2).
Grub-street (n.)
1620s, "originally the name of a street in Moorfields in London, much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems; whence any mean production is called grubstreet" [Johnson]. The place was renamed 1830 to Milton Street (after a local developer) then erased entirely 1970s by the Barbicon complex.
grudge (v.)
mid-15c., "to murmur, complain," variant of grutch. Meaning "to begrudge, envy, wish to deprive of" is c. 1500. Related: Grudged; grudges; grudging; grudgingly.
grudge (n.)
"ill will excited by some special cause," late 15c., from grudge (v.).
gruel (n.)
late 12c., "meal or flour made of beans, lentils, etc.," from Old French gruel "fine meal" (Modern French gruau), a diminutive form from Frankish *grut or another Germanic source, cognate with Middle Dutch grute "coarse meal, malt;" Middle High German gruz "grain," from PIE *ghreu- "to rub, grind" (see grit (n.)). Meaning "thin porridge or soup" is late 14c.
gruelling (adj.)
also grueling, "exhausting, punishing," 1852, present-participle adjective from gruel (v.) "to punish," from late 18c. slang get (or have) one's gruel "receive one's punishment," from gruel (n.).
gruesome (adj.)
1560s, with -some (1) + grue, from Middle English gruen "feel horror, shudder" (c. 1300); not recorded in Old English or Norse, possibly from Middle Dutch gruwen or Middle Low German gruwen "shudder with fear" (compare German grausam "cruel"), or from a Scandinavian source (such as Danish grusom "cruel," grue "to dread," though others hold that these are Low German loan-words). One of the many Scottish words popularized in England by Scott's novels. Related: Gruesomely; gruesomeness.
gruff (adj.)
1530s, of physical things, "coarse, coarse-grained," from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German grof "coarse (in quality), thick, large," of uncertain origin, regarded by some as related to Old English hreof, Old Norse hrjufr "rough, scabby," with Germanic completive prefix ga-. Of manners, "rough, surly," by 1690s. Related: Gruffness.
gruffly (adv.)
grumble (v.)
1580s, "complain in a low voice;" 1590s, "make a low, rumbling sound," from French grommeler "mutter between the teeth" or directly from Middle Dutch grommelen "murmur, mutter, grunt," from grommen "to rumble, growl." Imitative, or perhaps akin to grim (adj.). With unetymological -b- as in mumble. Related: Grumbled; grumbling.
grumble (n.)
1620s, from grumble (v.).
grump (n.)
"ill-humor," 1727, in humps and grumps "surly remarks," later the grumps "a fit of ill-humor" (1844), then "a person in ill humor" (1900); perhaps an extended sense of grum "morose, surly," which probably is related to Danish grum "cruel;" or perhaps suggested by grumble, grunt, etc.
grumpy (adj.)
1778, from grump + -y (2). Related: Grumpily; grumpiness. Scottish variant grumphie also was used as a generic name for a pig.
grundel (n.)
type of fish, c. 1500 (early 13c. as a surname), from grund "ground" (see ground (n.)) + -el (2). Compare Old English gryndle "herring;" grundling, type of fish, literally "groundling."
grundyism (n.)
"social censorship of personal conduct in the name of conventional propriety," 1836, from Mrs. Grundy, prudish character in Thomas Morton's 1798 play "Speed the Plow," play and playwright otherwise now forgotten, but the line "What would Mrs. Grundy say?" became proverbial.
grunge (n.)
"sloppiness, dirtiness," also "untidy person," 1965, American English teen slang, probably a back-formation from grungy. In reference to the music and fashion style that originated in Seattle is attested from 1989.
grungy (adj.)
"sloppy, shabby," 1965, American English slang, perhaps based on, or blended from, grubby and dingy.
grunion (n.)
type of Pacific fish, 1901, from American Spanish gruñon "grunting fish," from grunir "to grunt," from Latin grunnire, from Greek gryzein "to grunt," from gry "a grunt," imitative. Compare the unrelated American fish called the grunt, "so called from the noise they make when taken."
grunt (v.)
Old English grunnettan "to grunt," frequentative of grunian "to grunt," probably imitative (compare Danish grynte, Old High German grunnizon, German grunzen "to grunt," French grogner, Latin grunnire "to grunt"). Related: Grunted; grunting. Grunter "a pig" is from 1640s.
grunt (n.)
1550s, from grunt (v.); as a type of fish, from 1713, so called from the noise they make when hauled from the water; meaning "infantry soldier" emerged in U.S. military slang during Vietnam War (first recorded in print 1969); used since 1900 of various low-level workers. Grunt work first recorded 1977.
gruntle (v.)
1938, in gruntled "pleased, satisfied," a back-formation from disgruntled. The original verb (early 15c.) meant "to utter a little or low grunt," hence "to murmur, complain" (1560s), but was rare or dialectal by 18c.
grutch (v.)
c. 1200, grucchen, "to murmur, complain, find fault with, be angry," from Old French grouchier, grocier "to murmur, to grumble," a word of unknown origin, perhaps from Germanic, probably ultimately imitative.
The meaning "begrudge" is from c. 1400. Compare gruccild (early 13c.) "woman who complains," from grutch + a suffix of unknown origin. Related: Grutched; grutching. As a noun from c. 1400. Wycliffe (1382) has the veines of his grucchinge for "the essence of his complaint" [Job iv:12].
Gruyere
kind of cheese, 1802, from Gruyère, the name of the Swiss town and surrounding district where the cheese is made. The place name is said to be ultimately from Latin grus "crane."
gryphon (n.)
alternative or archaic spelling of griffin.
g spot (n.)
also g-spot, 1981, short for Gräfenberg spot, named for German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg (1881-1957), who described it in 1950.
G-string (n.)
1878, geestring, "loincloth worn by an American Indian," originally the string that holds it up, etymology unknown. The spelling with G (1882) is perhaps from influence of violin string tuned to a G (in this sense G string is first recorded 1831), the lowest and heaviest of the violin strings. First used of women's attire 1936, with reference to strip-teasers.
gu-
because g- followed by some vowels in English usually has a "soft" pronunciation, a silent -u- sometimes was inserted between the g- and the vowel in Middle English to signal hardness, especially in words from French; but this was not done with many Scandinavian words where hard "g" precedes a vowel (gear, get, give, etc.). Germanic -w- generally became -gu- in words borrowed into Romance languages, but Old North French preserved the Frankish -w-, and English sometimes borrowed both forms, hence guarantee/warranty, guard/ward, etc.
guacamole (n.)
"avocado-based dip, spread, or salad," a Mexican dish, 1913, from American Spanish guacamole, originally Mexican, from Nahuatl (Aztecan) ahuaca-molli, from ahuacatl "avocado" + molli "sauce."
Guadalcanal
largest of the Solomon Islands, discovered 1568 by Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira and named for his hometown in Spain. The place name contains the Spanish form of Arabic wadi "river" which occurs in other Spanish place names (such as Guadalajara, from Arabic Wadi Al-Bajara "River of the Stones," either a parallel formation to or ultimately a translation of the ancient Iberian name for the river that gave the place its earlier name, based on caruca "stony;" Guadalquivir, from Arabic Al-Wadi Al-Kabir "Big River;" and Guadalupe, from the Arabic river word and the Roman name of the river, Lupus, literally "wolf").
Guam
from Chamorro Guahan, said to mean literally "what we have."
guanine (n.)
1846, from guano, from which the chemical first was isolated, + chemical suffix -ine (2).
guano (n.)
c. 1600, from Spanish guano "dung, fertilizing excrement," especially of sea-birds on islands off Peru, from Quechua (Inca) huanu "dung."
Guarani (n.)
South American Indian language, 1797, from a native word.
guarantee (n.)
1670s, "person that gives security," altered (perhaps via Spanish garante or confusion with legalese ending -ee), from earlier garrant "warrant that the title to a property is true" (early 15c.), from Old French garant "defender, protector; warranty; pledge; justifying evidence," from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *war- "to warn, guard, protect," from PIE root *wer- (4) "to cover." For form evolution, see gu-. Sense of the "pledge" itself (which is properly a guaranty) developed 18c.
guarantee (v.)
1791, "to be surety for," from guarantee (n.). Garanten in this sense is from early 15c. Related: Guaranteed; guaranteeing.
guaranty (n.)
"act or fact of guaranteeing, a being answerable for the obligations of another," 1590s, garrantye, from earlier garant "warrant that the title to a property is true" (see guarantee (n.)), with influence from Old French garantie "protection, defense; safeguard, warranty," originally past participle of garantir "to protect," from the same source. The sense of "pledge given as security" that developed 17c. in guarantee might reasonably have left the sense "act of guaranteeing" to this form of the word, but the forms remain confused.
guarantor (n.)
"one who binds himself that the obligation of another shall be performed," 1811, from guarantee with Latinate agent noun suffix -or substituted for -ee.
guarded (adj.)
1560, "protected, defended," past-participle adjective from guard (v.). Meaning "reserved and cautious in speech, behavior, etc." is from 1728. Related: Guardedly; guardedness.
guard (n.)
early 15c., "one who keeps watch, a body of soldiers," also "care, custody, guardianship," and the name of a part of a piece of armor, from French garde "guardian, warden, keeper; watching, keeping, custody," from Old French garder "to keep, maintain, preserve, protect" (see guard (v.)). Abstract or collective sense of "a keeping, a custody" (as in bodyguard) also is from early 15c. Sword-play and fisticuffs sense is from 1590s; hence to be on guard (1640s) or off (one's) guard (1680s). As a football position, from 1889. Guard-rail attested from 1860, originally on railroad tracks and running beside the rail on the outside; the guide-rail running between the rails.
guard (v.)
mid-15c., from guard (n.) or from Old French garder "to keep watch over, guard, protect, maintain, preserve" (corresponding to Old North French warder, see gu-), from Frankish *wardon, from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard" (from PIE root *wer- (3) "perceive, watch out for"). Italian guardare, Spanish guardar also are from Germanic. Related: Guarded; guarding.
guardian (n.)
"one who guards," early 14c., garden; early 15c., gardein, from Anglo-French gardein (late 13c.), Old French gardien "keeper, custodian," earlier guarden, from Frankish *warding-, from the Germanic source of guard (v.). Specific legal sense is from 1510s. Guardian angel is from 1630s.
guardianship (n.)
Guatemala
Central American country, from words in a native language, variously identified as Quauhtemellan "land of the eagle" or Uhatzmalha "mountain where water gushes." Related: Guatemalan.
guava (n.)
1550s, from Spanish guaya, variant of guayaba, from Arawakan (West Indies) guayabo "guava tree" or Tupi guajava.
gubbertushed (adj.)
"Gubber Tushed is when teeth stand out, and not in order." [R. Holme, "Armoury," 1688]. The first element is of obscure origin.
gubernatorial (adj.)
1734, formed in American English from Latin gubernator "a governor" (see govern) + -al (1). OED marks it "Chiefly U.S.," and Century Dictionary says "Chiefly in newspaper use." As English words, gubernator was in use from 1520s, gubernation from mid-15c., but both are rare.
gudgeon (n.1)
European small freshwater fish, early 15c., gojoun, from Old French gojon (14c.), from Latin gobionem (nominative gobio), alteration of gobius, from Greek kobios, a kind of fish, a word of unknown origin. They are easily caught, hence the figurative sense of "a credulous person" (one who will "bite" at "bait"), from 1580s.
gudgeon (n.2)
"pivot on the end of a beam," c. 1400, from Old French gojon "pin, peg, spike" (13c.), perhaps somehow an altered sense of gudgeon (n.1).
Guelph (n.)
also Guelf, one of the two great parties in medieval Italian politics, characterized by support of the popes against the emperors (opposed to the Ghibellines), 1570s, from Italian Guelfo, from Old High German Welf, name of a princely family that became the ducal house of Brunswick, literally "whelp," originally the name of the founder (Welf I). The family are the ancestors of the present dynasty of Great Britain. The name is said to have been used as a war-cry at the Battle of Weinsberg (1140) by partisans of Henry the Lion, duke of Bavaria, who was of the family, against Emperor Conrad III; hence it was adopted in Italy as the name of the anti-imperial party in the Middle Ages.
guerdon (n.)
"reward, recompense" (now only poetic), late 14c., from Old French guerdon, guerredon "reward, recompense, payment," from Medieval Latin widerdonum, from Old High German widarlon "recompense," from widar "against," from Proto-Germanic *withro- (see with) + lon "reward," from Proto-Germanic *launam, from PIE *lau- "gain, profit" (see lucre). Compare Old English wiðerlean "requital, compensation." Form influenced in Medieval Latin by Latin donum "gift." Compare Spanish galardon, Italian guiderone.
guerilla (n.)
common misspelling (now perhaps established as a variant) of guerrilla (q.v.); compare French guérilla.
Guernsey
Channel Island, the name is Viking. The second element of the name is Old Norse ey "island" (compare Jersey); the first element uncertain, traditionally meaning "green," but perhaps rather representing a Viking personal name, such as Grani.
Like neighboring Jersey, its name also was taken as the word for a coarse, close-fitting vest of wool (1839), worn originally by seamen, and in Australia the word supplies many of the usages of jersey in U.S. As a type of cattle bred there, from 1784.
guerrilla (n.)
"fighter in an irregular, independent armed force," 1809, from Spanish guerrilla "body of skirmishers, skirmishing warfare," literally "little war," diminutive of guerra "war," from a Germanic source cognate with Old High German werra "strife, conflict, war," from Proto-Germanic *werra- (see war (n.)). Acquired by English during the Peninsular War (1808-1814), when bands of Spanish peasants and shepherds annoyed the occupying French. Purists failed in their attempt to keep this word restricted to "irregular warfare" and prevent it taking on the sense properly belonging to guerrillero "guerrilla fighter." Figurative use by 1861. As an adjective from 1811.
guess (n.)
c. 1300, "indiscriminate conclusion, guesswork, doubtful supposition," from guess (v.). Mid-15c. as "considered opinion." Verbal shrug phrase your guess is as good as mine attested from 1902.
guess (v.)
c. 1300, gessen "to infer from observation, perceive, find out; form an opinion, judge, decide, discern; evaluate, estimate the number, importance, etc. of," perhaps from Scandinavian (compare Middle Danish gitse, getze "to guess," Old Norse geta "guess, get"), or from or influenced by Middle Dutch gessen, Middle Low German gissen "to guess," all from Proto-Germanic *getan "to get" (see get (v.)).
The prehistoric sense evolution then would be from "get," to "take aim at," to "to estimate." Meaning "to hit upon the right answer" is from 1540s. The spelling with gu- is late 16c., sometimes attributed to Caxton and his early experience as a printer in Bruges. Related: Guessed; guessing.
Guessing game attested from 1650s. To keep (someone) guessing "keep him in a state of suspense" is from 1896, American English.
guesstimate (v.)
1902, a blending of guess (v.) and estimate (v.). Related: Guesstimated; guesstimating. As a noun from 1906.
guess-work (n.)
also guesswork, "what is done by or due to guess," 1725, from guess (v.) + work (n.).
guest (n.)
Old English gæst, giest (Anglian gest) "an accidental guest, a chance comer, a stranger," from Proto-Germanic *gastiz (source also of Old Frisian jest, Dutch gast, German Gast, Gothic gasts "guest," originally "stranger"), from PIE root *ghos-ti- "stranger, guest, host" (source also of Latin hostis, in earlier use "a stranger," in classical use "an enemy"); the root sense, according to Watkins, probably is "someone with whom one has reciprocal duties of hospitality."
Spelling evolution influenced by Old Norse cognate gestr (the usual sound changes from the Old English word would have yielded Modern English *yest). Meaning "person entertained for pay" (at an inn, etc.) is from late 13c. Old English also had cuma "stranger, guest," literally "a comer." Phrase be my guest in the sense of "go right ahead" first recorded 1955.
guest (v.)
early 14c., "receive as a guest;" 1610s, "be a guest;" 1936, American English, "appear as a guest performer," from guest (n.). Related: Guested; guesting.
guest-room (n.)
also guestroom, 1630s, from guest (n.) + room (n.). Guest chamber is recorded from 1520s. Old English had giestærn "guest-chamber," with the second element the same one as in barn.
guest star (n.)
1914 in the entertainment sense; earlier the phrase was used literally, of novae. As a verb, by 1942.
guff (n.)
"empty talk, nonsense," 1888, from earlier sense of "puff of air" (1825), of imitative origin.
guffaw (n.)
1720, Scottish, probably imitative of the sound of coarse laughter. Compare gawf (early 16c.) "loud, noisy laugh." The verb is from 1721. Related: Guffawed; guffawing.
Guggenheim (n.)
grant for advanced study, from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, established 1925 by U.S. Sen. Simon Guggenheim (1867-1941) in memory of his son, who died young. The senator's brother was an arts patron who founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1937, which grew into the Guggenheim Museum of modern art. The surname is German, said to mean literally "swamp hamlet" or "cuckoo hamlet."
guy (n.2)
"fellow," 1847, American English; earlier, in British English (1836) "grotesquely or poorly dressed person," originally (1806) "effigy of Guy Fawkes," a key figure in the Gunpowder Plot to blow up British king and Parliament (Nov. 5, 1605). He was the one caught with the gunpowder when the plot was revealed. The effigies were paraded through the streets by children on the anniversary of the conspiracy. The male proper name is from French, related to Italian Guido, which form Fawkes also sometimes used.
guy (n.1)
"small rope, chain, wire," 1620s, nautical; earlier "leader" (mid-14c.), from Old French guie "a guide," also "a crane, derrick," from guier, from Frankish *witan "show the way" or a similar Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *witanan "to look after, guard, ascribe to, reproach" (source also of German weisen "to show, point out," Old English witan "to reproach," wite "fine, penalty"), from PIE root *weid- "to see." Or from a related word in North Sea Germanic.
guide (v.)
late 14c., "to lead, direct, conduct," from Old French guider "to guide, lead, conduct" (14c.), earlier guier, from Frankish *witan "show the way" or a similar Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *witanan "to look after, guard, ascribe to, reproach" (source also of German weisen "to show, point out," Old English witan "to reproach," wite "fine, penalty"), from PIE root *weid- "to see." The form of the French word influenced by Old Provençal guidar (n.) "guide, leader," or Italian guidare, both from the same source. Related: Guided; guiding. Guided missile, one capable of altering course in flight, is from 1945.
guide (n.)
mid-14c., "one who shows the way," from Old French guide, 14c., verbal noun from guider (see guide (v.)). In book titles from 1610s; meaning "book of information on local sites" is from 1759. In 18c. France, a "for Dummies" or "Idiot's Guide to" book would have been a guid' âne, literally "guide-ass." Guide-dog for the blind is from 1932.
guidance (n.)
1530s, "the process of directing conduct," hybrid from guide (v.) + -ance; replacing 15c. guying. In reference to direction in school, career, marriage, etc., from 1927.
guideline (n.)
1785, "line marked on a surface before cutting," from guide + line (n.). Meaning "rope for steering a hot-air balloon" is from 1846. In figurative use by 1948. Related: Guidelines.
guide-post (n.)
also guidepost, 1761, from guide (v.) + post (n.1). Placed at a fork or intersection, with signs to guide travelers on their way.
Guido
masc. proper name, Italian, literally "leader," of Germanic origin (see guide (v.)). As a type of gaudy machoism often associated with Italian-Americans, 1980s, teen slang, from the name of character in Hollywood film "Risky Business" (1983).
guidon (n.)
"small flag," originally one borne by a military unit to direct movements, 1540s, from French guidon (16c.), from Italian guidone "battle standard," from guidare "to direct, guide," from Old Provençal guidar "to guide," from Proto-Germanic *witanan "to look after, guard" (from PIE root *weid- "to see"). Compare guide (v.).
Guidonian (adj.)
1721, in reference to the system of musical notation devised by Guido d'Arezzo, who lived early 11c.
guileful (adj.)
c. 1300, from guile + -ful. Nowadays only in poems and dictionaries. Related: Guilefully; guilefulness.
guile (n.)
mid-12c., from Old French guile "deceit, wile, fraud, ruse, trickery," probably from Frankish *wigila "trick, ruse" or a related Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *wih-l- (source also of Old Frisian wigila "sorcery, witchcraft," Old English wig "idol," Gothic weihs "holy," German weihen "consecrate"), from PIE root *weik- (2) "consecrated, holy."
guild (n.)
also gild, early 13c., yilde (spelling later influenced by Old Norse gildi "guild, brotherhood"), a semantic fusion of Old English gegield "guild, brotherhood," and gield "service, offering; payment, tribute; compensation," from Proto-Germanic *geldja- "payment, contribution" (source also of Old Frisian geld "money," Old Saxon geld "payment, sacrifice, reward," Old High German gelt "payment, tribute;" see yield (v.)).
The connecting sense is of a contribution or payment to join a protective or trade society. But some look to the alternative prehistoric 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.
Continental guilds of merchants, incorporated in each town or city and holding exclusive rights of doing business there, arrived after the Conquest. In many cases they became the governing body of a town (compare Guildhall, which came to be the London city hall). Trade guilds arose 14c., as craftsmen united to protect their common interest.
guilder (n.)
Dutch gold coin, late 15c., probably from a mispronunciation of Middle Dutch gulden, literally "golden," in gulden (florijn) or some similar name for a golden coin (see golden).
guileless (adj.)
1710, from guile + -less. Related: Guilelessly; guilelessness.
guillotine (n.)
"The name of the machine in which the axe descends in grooves from a considerable height so that the stroke is certain and the head instantly severed from the body." [Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, January 1793], 1791, from French guillotine, named in recognition of French physician Joseph Guillotin (1738-1814), who as a 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. Similar devices on similar principles had been used in the Middle Ages. The verb is attested by 1794. Related: Guillotined; guillotining.
guilt (n.)
Old English gylt "crime, sin, moral defect, failure of duty," of unknown origin, though some suspect a connection to Old English gieldan "to pay for, debt," but OED editors find this "inadmissible phonologically." The -u- is an unetymological insertion. In law, "That state of a moral agent which results from his commission of a crime or an offense wilfully or by consent" [Century Dictionary], from early 14c. Then use for "sense of guilt," considered erroneous by purists, is first recorded 1680s. Guilt by association recorded by 1919.
guilt (v.)
"to influence someone by appealing to his sense of guiltiness," by 1995, from guilt (n.). Related: Guilted; guilting. Old English had also a verbal form, gyltan (Middle English gilt), but it was intransitive and meant "to commit an offense, act criminally."
guiltiness (n.)
late 14c., from guilty + -ness.
guilty (adj.)
Old English gyltig "offending, delinquent, criminal," from gylt (see guilt (n.)). In law, "that has committed some specified offense," late 13c. Of conscience, feelings, etc., 1590s. Meaning "person who is guilty" is from 1540s. To plead not guilty is from 15c.; to plead guilty is 19c., though, as OED notes, "Guilty is technically not a plea, but a confession." Related: Guiltily; guiltiness.
guiltless (adj.)
late Old English gyltleas; see guilt (n.) + -less. Related: Guiltlessly; guiltlessness.
Guinness
Irish brewery, founded 1759 by Arthur Guinness (1725-1803) in Dublin.
Guinea
region along the west coast of Africa, presumably from an African word (perhaps Tuareg aginaw "black people"). As a derogatory term for "an Italian" (1896) it is from Guinea Negro (1740s) "black person, person of mixed ancestry;" applied to Italians probably because of their dark complexions relative to northern Europeans, and after 1911 it was occasionally applied to Hispanics and Pacific Islanders as well. New Guinea was so named 1546 by Spanish explorer Inigo Ortiz de Retes in reference to the natives' dark skin and tightly curled hair. The Guinea hen (1570s) is a domestic fowl imported from there. Related: Guinean.
guinea (n.)
former British coin, 1660s, from Guinea, because the coins were first minted for British trade with Guinea (but soon in domestic use) and with gold from Africa. The original guinea was in use from 1663 to 1813.