The new year did not bring as much renewed commitment to reading as I hoped for. I did get through the entire letter G and the first two pages of H during January but I need to step up my game if I want to finish the dictionary this year. At times this month I have caught myself pondering other books that I could be reading. Somehow I will find the determination to get through this and it better be worth it in the long run. I don’t see how it will take me this long to read any other book in my house. The dictionary is just so different from anything else. Even an encyclopedia would be an easier read because there is flow and purpose to each entry. The dictionary just is. Reference books are not meant to be read this way but I will finish.
Here are the notable words from G and one from H:
GADGET and GALE- Here are two more seemingly common words without a verified origin. I’m beginning to tire with this trend of everyday words that cannot be traced. Either they entered the English language on their own because they were made up or they come from somewhere. If they cannot be traced to another language root, then why can’t Websters just state that the word was made up?
GAMER- My how this definition has changed in the last decade! It used to mean an athlete who relishes in competition but now we know gamers as adolescents and young adults with questionable priorities on how they spend their time. Oh sure, modern gamers enjoy competition, but they certainly aren’t assumed to be anything close to athletic.
GAS MASK- This term is traced back 100 years to 1915. That is when poison gas was used as a weapon in World War I. It’s amazing and sad how many words entered the English language due to their relationship with war.
GAZELLE- Even a year into reading the dictionary, I still enjoy finding a unique word origin. This word comes from Arabic.
GEE- Originally it was a substitute expression for Jesus. It sure seems tame and harmless now but I wonder if all the goodie-goodies of the world realize what this phrase means. It’s enough to make me pause before saying it again.
GEEK- There are two completely opposite definitions for this word. One is the obvious- a super smart person that is subject to ridicule. The other is an ultra-meathead carnival performer who does wild things like biting the heads off small creatures. I’m pretty sure all my peers in middle and high school meant the first definition when they tormented me. I certainly never bit off anything’s head.
GENEVA CONVENTION- I like history but even I was ignorant to how far back this term goes. Most know about the Geneva Convention held after World War 2. Until now, I did not know that there had been three previous Geneva Conventions, the first of which occurred before the American Civil War. They all relate to humanitarian treatment in war and each successive convention updated and built off of the previous one.
GERMAN WORDS- Not a term itself, but I was surprised on a stretch of pages just how many German words had entered the English language directly without being translated. Words like gemeinschaft, gemütlich, gestalt, and gesundheit all entered English because they are used as concepts or principles.
GERRYMANDER- Did you know this term for manipulation the boundaries of electoral districts for political gain is named for a man who was not only a member of the House of Representative, but also the governor of Massachusetts and served as Vice President of the United States? Elbridge Gerry is the man to thank for this term every time new electoral districts are disliked by one political party or another. While he was from Massachusetts, I could not determine whether Gerry can be classified as liberal or conservative. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican party, which were generally opposed to federalism (big government) but would probably have sounded more like the Libertarian Party now than the Democrats or Republicans.
GEYSER- This is the first word I can remember seeing of Icelandic origin. It is also an actual place! It was the first natural hot springs phenomenon of its kind to be described in print, so the general term for the phenomenon was named for it.
GIGAWATT- The first documented usage of this word dates back to 1962. That’s seven years after Doc Brown has a cow about the 1.21 gigawatts needed to travel through time. I’m willing to Back to the Future some slack. As a man of science, Doc Brown would have known what a gigawatt was even if the term wasn’t commonplace yet in scientific circles.
GILL- The word meaning the slits through which fish breathe is from Scandinavian origin. Yeah, it’s still not old to find origins beyond Greek and Latin.
GOUDA- This cheese is named after a city in the Netherlands. So, gouda cheese can say “I’m Dutch! Isn’t that weird?”
GRANNY SMITH- This now omnipresent apple is named after its creator- Maria Ann Smith. She created the species of apple in Australia. I never knew any of that but I assumed it was named for someone.
GREASER- Coming across this word reminded me of The Outsiders. I read that back in high school and loved it.
GREAT VOWEL SHIFT- I had never heard of this before and I had to look it up to fully understand it. There is no agreed upon cause for the normalizing of certain vowel sounds over the 350 years this phenomenon occurred but we’re stuck with it now. This also explains why there are some strange and varied pronunciations for vowels and vowel groupings that are spelled the same way. Look it up for yourself, it’s a real trip.
GREAT YEAR- I looked up a detailed explanation of what this is and I’m still confused.
GRIFT- This word celebrates its centennial this year. I recall both a book and movie called The Grifters, which is to my knowledge the only reason I now the term, but I have not read nor seen either.
GRINCH- This word is in the dictionary and the English language because of Dr. Seuss. It didn’t exist before his book, evidently. As a fan of the classic animated short film, I think this is awesome.
GROUNDOUT- As old as baseball is, I was shocked to learn that this common term is only 50 years old.
GUILLOTINE- This symbol of the French Revolution (also a part of one of my favorite books of all time- A Tale of Two Cities) is named for a French physician who advocated for a quicker, efficient, and painless way to perform executions. He did not, however, invent the device. Antoine Louis, a French surgeon, and Tobias Schmidt, a German engineer, designed the first prototype.
GUNK- This word used to be trademarked for a cleaning solvent. I’m not sure if it is still a trademark because the word has become such a common term.
GYMNASIUM- The Greek origins of this word mean ‘to exercise naked.’ Bet you’ll never think of gym class the same way again!
HACK- I cannot stand the modern usage of this word. People are writing internet posts offering ‘life hacks’ or ‘cooking hacks’ and so on. These things are not hacks. They are tips and shortcuts to bypass an otherwise lengthy or routine process. Calling these things hacks is just a stupid way to try and sound hip. These people don’t even realize that the word ‘hack’ also means to do something in a crude and unskillful way. I consider anyone who writes these ‘hack’ articles to be hack writers.
Page Count: 560/1600 (35.00%)
Countdown to the Letter I: 50 pages
