Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter G - Page 1
G () G is the seventh letter of the English alphabet, and a vocal consonant. It has two sounds; one simple, as in gave, go, gull; the other compound (like that of j), as in gem, gin, dingy. See Guide to Pronunciation, 231-6, 155, 176, 178, 179, 196, 211, 246.
Note: The form of G is from the Latin, in the alphabet which it first appeared as a modified form of C. The name is also from the Latin, and probably comes to us through the French. Etymologically it is most closely related to a c hard, k y, and w; as in corn, grain, kernel; kin L. genus, Gr. ?; E. garden, yard; drag, draw; also to ch and h; as in get, prehensile; guest, host (an army); gall, choler; gust, choose. See C.
G () (Mus.) G is the name of the fifth tone of the natural or model scale; -- called also sol by the Italians and French. It was also originally used as the treble clef, and has gradually changed into the character represented in the margin. See Clef. G (G sharp) is a tone intermediate between G and A.
G, (n.) A metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram [syn: gram, gramme, gm, g].
G, (n.) A purine base found in DNA and RNA; pairs with cytosine [syn: guanine, G].
G, (n.) One of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose) [syn: deoxyguanosine monophosphate, G].
G, (n.) The cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100 [syn: thousand, one thousand, 1000, M, K, chiliad, G, grand, thou, yard].
G, (n.) A unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated [syn: g, gee, g-force].
G, (n.) A unit of information equal to 1000 megabytes or 10^9 (1,000,000,000) bytes [syn: gigabyte, G, GB]
G, (n.) A unit of information equal to 1024 mebibytes or 2^30 (1,073,741,824) bytes [syn: gigabyte, gibibyte, G, GB, GiB].
G, (n.) (Physics) The universal constant relating force to mass and distance in Newton's law of gravitation [syn: gravitational constant, universal gravitational constant, constant of gravitation, G].
G, (n.) The 7th letter of the Roman alphabet [syn: G, g].
G, (pref., suff.) [SI] See quantifiers.
G, (pref., suff.) The letter G has special significance in the hacker community, largely thanks to the GNU project and the GPL.
Many free software projects have names that names that begin with G. The GNU project gave many of its projects names that were acronyms beginning with the word ?GNU?, such as ?GNU C Compiler? (gcc) and ?GNU Debugger? (gdb), and this launched a tradition. Just as many Java developers will begin their projects with J, many free software developers will begin theirs with G. It is often the case that a program with a G-prefixed name is licensed under the GNU GPL.
For example, someone may write a free Enterprise Engineering Kludge package (EEK technology is all the rage in the technical journals) and name it ? geek? to imply that it is a GPL'd EEK package.
G, () The abbreviated form of giga-.
G, () ["G: A Functional Language with Generic Abstract Data Types", P.A.G. Bailes, Computer Langs 12(2):69-94, 1987].
G, () A language developed at Oregon State
University in 1988 which combines functional programming, object-oriented programming, relational, imperative programming and logic programming (you name it we got it).
["The Multiparadigm Language G", J. Placer, Computer Langs 16:235-258, 1991].
[{Jargon
File]
(1996-08-12)
Gab (n.) (Steam Engine) The hook on the end of an eccentric rod opposite the strap. See. Illust. of Eccentric.
Gab (v. i.) The mouth; hence, idle prate; chatter; unmeaning talk; loquaciousness.
Gab (v. i.) To deceive; to lie. [Obs.] -- Chaucer.
Gab (v. i.) To talk idly; to prate; to chatter. -- Holinshed.
Gab (n.) The mouth; hence, idle prate; chatter; unmeaning talk; loquaciousness. [Colloq.]
Gift of gab, Facility of expression. [Colloq.]
Gab (n.) Light informal conversation for social occasions [syn: chitchat, chit-chat, chit chat, small talk, gab, gabfest, gossip, tittle-tattle, chin wag, chin-wag, chin wagging, chin-wagging, causerie]
Gab (v.) Talk profusely; "she was yakking away about her grandchildren" [syn: yak, gab].
Gabarage (n.) A kind of coarse cloth for packing goods. [Obs.] Gabardine
Gabardine (n.) Alt. of Gaberdine.
Gaberdine (n.) A coarse frock or loose upper garment formerly worn by Jews; a mean dress. -- Shak.
Gabber (n.) A liar; a deceiver. [Obs.]
Gabber (n.) One addicted to idle talk.
Gabbled (imp. & p. p.) of Gabble.
Gabbling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Gabble.
Gabble (v. i.) To talk fast, or to talk without meaning; to prate; to jabber. -- Shak.
Gabble (v. i.) To utter inarticulate sounds with rapidity; -- used of fowls as well as people; as, gabbling geese.
Gabble (n.) Loud or rapid talk without meaning.
Forthwith a hideous gabble rises loud Among the builders. -- Milton.
Gabble (n.) Inarticulate sounds rapidly uttered; as of fowls.
Gabble (n.) Rapid and indistinct speech [syn: jabber, jabbering, gabble].
Gabble (v.) Speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly [syn: chatter, piffle, palaver, prate, tittle-tattle, twaddle, clack, maunder, prattle, blab, gibber, tattle, blabber, gabble].
Gabbler (n.) One who gabbles; a prater.
Gabbro (n.) [It.] (Geol.) A name originally given by the Italians to a kind of serpentine, later to the rock called euphotide, and now generally used for a coarsely crystalline, igneous rock consisting of lamellar pyroxene (diallage) and labradorite, with sometimes chrysolite (olivine gabbro).
Compare: Euphotide
Euphotide (n.) (Min.) A rock occurring in the Alps, consisting of saussurite and smaragdite; -- sometimes called gabbro.
Gabel (n.) (O. Eng. Law) A rent, service, tribute, custom, tax, impost, or duty; an excise. -- Burrill.
He enables St. Peter to pay his gabel by the ministry of a fish. -- Jer. Taylor.
Gabeler (n.) (O. Eng. Law) A collector of gabels or taxes.
Gabelle (n.) A tax, especially on salt. [France] -- Brande & C.
Gabelleman (n.) A gabeler. -- Carlyle.
Gabardine, Gaberdine (n.) A coarse frock or loose upper garment formerly worn by Jews; a mean dress. -- Shak.
Gaberdine (n.) See Gabardine.
Gaber-lunzie (n.) A beggar with a wallet; a licensed beggar. [Scot.] -- Sir W. Scott.
Gabert (n.) A lighter, or vessel for inland navigation. [Scot.] -- Jamieson.
Gabion (n.) (Fort.) A hollow cylinder of wickerwork, like a basket without a bottom. Gabions are made of various sizes, and filled with earth in building fieldworks to shelter men from an enemy's fire.
Gabion (n.) (Hydraul. Engin.) An openwork frame, as of poles, filled with stones and sunk, to assist in forming a bar dyke, etc., as in harbor improvement.
Gabionade (n.) (Fort.) A traverse made with gabions between guns or on their flanks, protecting them from enfilading fire.
Gabionade (n.) A structure of gabions sunk in lines, as a core for a sand bar in harbor improvements.
Gabionage (n.) (Mil.) The part of a fortification built of gabions.
Gabioned (p. a.) Furnished with gabions.
Gabionnade (n.) See Gabionade.
Gable (n.) A cable. [Archaic] -- Chapman.
Gable (n.) (Arch.) The vertical triangular portion of the end of a building, from the level of the cornice or eaves to the ridge of the roof. Also, a similar end when not triangular in shape, as of a gambrel roof and the like. Hence:
Gable (n.) (Arch.) The end wall of a building, as distinguished from the front or rear side.
Gable (n.) (Arch.) A decorative member having the shape of a triangular gable, such as that above a Gothic arch in a doorway.
Bell gable. See under Bell.
Gable roof, A double sloping roof which forms a gable at each end.
Gable wall. Same as Gable (b) .
Gable window, A window in a gable.
Gablet (n.) (Arch.) A small gable, or gable-shaped canopy, formed over a tabernacle, niche, etc.
Gablock (n.) A false spur or gaff, fitted on the heel of a gamecock. -- Wright.
Gaby (n.) A simpleton; a dunce; a lout. [Colloq.]
Gad (n.) The point of a spear, or an arrowhead.
Gad (n.) A pointed or wedge-shaped instrument of metal, as a steel wedge used in mining, etc.
I will go get a leaf of brass, And with a gad of steel will write these words. -- Shak.
Gad (n.) A sharp-pointed rod; a goad.
Gad (n.) A spike on a gauntlet; a gadling. -- Fairholt.
Gad (n.) A wedge-shaped billet of iron or steel. [Obs.]
Flemish steel . . . some in bars and some in gads. -- Moxon.
Gad (n.) A rod or stick, as a fishing rod, a measuring rod, or a rod used to drive cattle with. [Prov. Eng. Local, U.S.] -- Halliwell. Bartlett.
Upon the gad, Upon the spur of the moment; hastily. [Obs.] "All this done upon the gad!" -- Shak.
Gadded (imp. & p. p.) of Gad.
Gadding (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Gad.
Gad (v. i.) To walk about; to rove or go about, without purpose; hence, to run wild; to be uncontrolled. "The gadding vine." -- Milton.
Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? -- Jer. ii. 36.
Gadabout (n.) A gadder. [Colloq.]
Gadbee (n.) (Zool.) The gadfly.
Gadder (n.) One who roves about idly, a rambling gossip.
Gadding (a. & n.) Going about much, needlessly or without purpose.
Envy is a gadding passion, and walketh the streets. -- Bacon.
The good nuns would check her gadding tongue. -- Tennyson.
Gadding car, In quarrying, a car which carries a drilling machine so arranged as to drill a line of holes.
Gaddingly (adv.) In a roving, idle manner.
Gaddish (a.) Disposed to gad. -- Gad"dish*nes, n. "Gaddishness and folly." -- Abp. Leighton.
Gade (n.) (Zool.) A small British fish ({Motella argenteola) of the Cod family.
Gade (n.) A pike, so called at Moray Firth; -- called also gead. [Prov. Eng.] Gadere
Gadere (v. t. & i.) Alt. of Gadre.
Gadre (v. t. & i.) To gather. [Obs.] -- Chaucer.
Gadflies (n. pl. ) of Gadfly.
Gadfly (n.) (Zool.) 牛虻；有意困擾他人者 Any dipterous insect of the genus Oestrus, and allied genera of botflies.
Note: The sheep gadfly ({Oestrus ovis) deposits its young in the nostrils of sheep, and the larv[ae] develop in the frontal sinuses. The common species which infests cattle ({Hypoderma bovis) deposits its eggs upon or in the skin where the larv[ae] or bots live and produce sores called wormels. The gadflies of the horse produce the intestinal parasites called bots. See Botfly, and Bots. The true horseflies are often erroneously called gadflies, and the true gadflies are sometimes incorrectly called breeze flies.
Gadfly petrel (Zool.), One of several small petrels of the genus Oestrelata.
Compare: Breeze, Breeze fly
Breeze, Breeze fly (n.) (Zool.) A fly of various species, of the family Tabanid[ae], noted for buzzing about animals, and tormenting them by sucking their blood; -- called also horsefly, and gadfly. They are among the largest of two-winged or dipterous insects. The name is also given to different species of botflies. [Written also breese and brize.]
Gadfly (n.) A persistently annoying person [syn: pest, blighter, cuss, pesterer, gadfly].
Gadfly (n.) Any of various large flies that annoy livestock.
Gadhelic (a.) Of, belonging to, or designating, that division of the Celtic languages which includes the Irish, Gaelic, and Manx.
Gadic (a.) (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, the cod ({Gadus); -- applied to an acid obtained from cod-liver oil, viz., gadic acid.
Gaditanian (a.) Of or relating to Cadiz, in Spain.
Gaditanian (n.) A native or inhabitant of Cadiz.
Gadling (n.) See Gad, n., 4.
Gadling (a.) Gadding about. [Obs.]
Gadling (n.) A roving vagabond. [Obs.] -- Rom. of R.
Gadman (n.) A gadsman.
Gadoid (a.) Of or pertaining to the family of fishes ({Gadidae) which includes the cod, haddock, and hake.
Gadoid (n.) One of the Gadidae. [Written also gadid.]
Gadoid (n.) A soft-finned fish of the family Gadidae [syn: gadoid, gadoid fish].
Gadolinia (n.) (Chem.) A rare earth associated with yttria and regarded as the oxide ({Gd2O3) of a metallic element, gadolinium.
Gadolinic (a.) (Chem.) Pertaining to or containing gadolinium.
Gadolinite (n.) (Min.) A mineral of a nearly black color and vitreous luster, and consisting principally of the silicates of yttrium, cerium, and iron.
Gadolinite (n.) A mineral that is a source of rare earths; consists of silicates of iron and beryllium and cerium and yttrium and erbium [syn: gadolinite, ytterbite].
Gadolinium (n.) (Chem.) A rare earth metallic element of the Lanthanide series, with a characteristic spectrum, found associated with yttrium and other rare earth elements. Symbol, Gd; it has an atomic number of 64, an atomic weight of 157.25 (C=12.011), and a valence of +3.
Gadolinium (n.) A ductile silvery-white ductile ferromagnetic trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group [syn: gadolinium, Gd, atomic number 64].
Gadolinium
Symbol: Gd
Atomic number: 64
Atomic weight: 157.25
Soft silvery metallic element belonging to the lanthanoids. Seven natural, stable isotopes are known in addition to eleven artificial isotopes.
Gd-155 and Gd-157 and the best neutron absorbers of all elements.
Gadolinium compounds are used in electronics. Discovered by J.C.G Marignac in 1880.
Gadsman (n.) One who uses a gad or goad in driving.
Gaduin (n.) (Chem.) A yellow or brown amorphous substance, of indifferent nature, found in cod-liver oil.
Gadwall (n.) (Zool.) A large duck ({Anas strepera), valued as a game bird, found in the northern parts of Europe and America; -- called also gray duck. [Written also gaddwell.]
Gadzookery (n.) (British) The use of archaisms (as in a historical novel).
Gael (n. sing. & pl.) (Ethnol.) A Celt or the Celts of the Scotch Highlands or of Ireland; now esp., a Scotch Highlander of Celtic origin.
Gael (n.) A Gaelic-speaking Celt in Ireland or Scotland or the Isle of Man.
Gaelic (a.) (Ethnol.) Of or pertaining to the Gael, esp. to the Celtic Highlanders of Scotland; as, the Gaelic language.
Gaelic (n.) The language of the Gaels, esp. of the Highlanders of Scotland. It is a branch of the Celtic.
Compare: Erse
Erse (n.) 蘇格蘭克爾特語；愛爾蘭克爾特語 A name sometimes given to that dialect of the Celtic which is spoken in the Highlands of Scotland; -- called, by the Highlanders, Gaelic.
Erse (a.) 蘇格蘭克爾特語的；愛爾蘭克爾特語的 Of or pertaining to the Celtic race in the Highlands of Scotland, or to their language.
Erse (n.) Any of several related languages of the Celts in Ireland and Scotland [syn: Gaelic, Goidelic, Erse].
Gaelic (a.) Relating to or characteristic of the Celts [syn: Celtic, Gaelic].
Gaelic (n.) Any of several related languages of the Celts in Ireland and Scotland [syn: Gaelic, Goidelic, Erse].
Gaelic, () For automated test programs. Used in military, essentially replaced by ATLAS.
Gaff (n.) A barbed spear or a hook with a handle, used by fishermen in securing heavy fish.
Gaff (n.) (Naut.) The spar upon which the upper edge of a fore-and-aft sail is extended.
Gaff (n.) Same as Gaffle, 1. -- Wright.
Gaffed (imp. & p. p.) of Gaff.
Gaffing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Gaff.
Gaff (v. t.) To strike with a gaff or barbed spear; to secure by means of a gaff; as, to gaff a salmon.
Gaff (n.) A sharp metal spike or spur that is fastened to the leg of a gamecock.
Gaff (n.) A spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail.
Gaff (n.) An iron hook with a handle; used for landing large fish.
Gaffer (n.) An old fellow; an aged rustic.
Go to each gaffer and each goody. -- Fawkes.
Note: Gaffer was originally a respectful title, now degenerated into a term of familiarity or contempt when addressed to an aged man in humble life.
Gaffer (n.) A foreman or overseer of a gang of laborers. [Prov. Eng.]
Gaffer (n.) An elderly man [syn: old-timer, oldtimer, gaffer, old geezer, antique].
Gaffer (n.) An electrician responsible for lighting on a movie or tv set.
Gaffer (n.) A person who exercises control over workers; "if you want to leave early you have to ask the foreman" [syn: foreman, chief, gaffer, honcho, boss].
Gaffle (n.) An artificial spur or gaff for gamecocks.
Gaffle (n.) A lever to bend crossbows.
Gaff-topsail (n.) (Naut.) A small triangular sail having its foot extended upon the gaff and its luff upon the topmast.
Gagged (imp. & p. p.) of Gag.
Gagging (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Gag.
Gag (v. t.) To stop the mouth of, by thrusting sometimes in, so as to hinder speaking; hence, to silence by authority or by violence; not to allow freedom of speech to. -- Marvell.
The time was not yet come when eloquence was to be gagged, and reason to be hood winked. -- Maccaulay.
Gag (v. t.) To pry or hold open by means of a gag.
Mouths gagged to such a wideness. -- Fortescue (Transl.).
Gag (v. t.) To cause to heave with nausea.
Gag (v. i.) To heave with nausea; to retch.
Gag (v. i.) To introduce gags or interpolations. See Gag, n., 3. [Slang] -- Cornill Mag.
Gag (n.) Something thrust into the mouth or throat to hinder speaking.