galaxy
galaxy: n. (pl. -ies.
1 any of many independent systems of stars, gas, dust, etc., held together by gravitational attraction.
2 (the Galaxy) the galaxy of which the solar system is a part.
3 (the Galaxy) the irregular luminous band of stars indistinguishable to the naked eye encircling the heavens, the Milky Way.
4 (foll. by of) a brilliant company or gathering. [ME f. OF galaxie f. med.L galaxia, LL galaxias f. Gk f. gala galaktos milk]

geography
geography: n.
1 the study of the earth's physical features, resources, and climate, and the physical aspects of its population.
2 the main physical features of an area.
3 the layout or arrangement of rooms in a building. geographer n. [F gographie or L geographia f. Gk geographia (as GEO-, -GRAPHY)]

government
government: n.
1 the act or manner of governing.
2 the system by which a State or community is governed.
3 a a body of persons governing a State. b (usu. Government) a particular ministry in office.
4 the State as an agent.
5 Gram. the relation between a governed and a governing word. Government House the official residence of a governor. government issue US (of equipment) provided by the government. government paper (or securities) bonds etc. issued by the government. government surplus unused equipment sold by the government. governmental adj. governmentally adv. [ME f. OF governement (as GOVERN)]

gifted
gifted: adj. exceptionally talented or intelligent. giftedly adv. giftedness n.

ghosting
ghosting: n. the appearance of a 'ghost' (see GHOST n. 4) or secondary image in a television picture.

graphic
graphic: adj. & n. --adj.
1 of or relating to the visual or descriptive arts, esp. writing and drawing.
2 vividly descriptive.
3 (of minerals) showing marks like writing on the surface or in a fracture.
4 = GRAPHICAL. --n. a product of the graphic arts (cf. GRAPHICS). graphic arts the visual and technical arts involving design, writing, drawing, printing, etc. graphic equalizer a device for the separate control of the strength and quality of selected frequency bands. graphically adv. graphicness n. [L graphicus f. Gk graphikos f. graphe writing]

guppy
guppy: n. (pl. -ies) a freshwater fish, Poecilia reticulata, of the W. Indies and S. America, frequently kept in aquariums, and giving birth to live young. [R. J. L. Guppy, 19th-c. Trinidad clergyman who sent the first specimen to the British Museum]

glamour
glamour: n. & v. (US glamor) --n.
1 physical attractiveness, esp. when achieved by make-up etc.
2 alluring or exciting beauty or charm (the glamour of New York). --v.tr.
1 poet. affect with glamour; bewitch; enchant.
2 colloq. make glamorous. cast a glamour over enchant. glamour girl (or boy) an attractive young woman (or man), esp. a model etc. glamorous adj. glamorously adv. [18th c.: var. of GRAMMAR, with ref. to the occult practices associated with learning in the Middle Ages]

gateway
gateway: n.
1 an entrance with or opening for a gate.
2 a frame or structure built over a gate.

global
global: adj.
1 worldwide (global conflict).
2 relating to or embracing a group of items etc.; total. global warming the increase in temperature of the earth's atmosphere caused by the greenhouse effect. globally adv. [F (as GLOBE)]

gentile
gentile: adj. & n. --adj.
1 (Gentile) not Jewish; heathen.
2 of or relating to a nation or tribe.
3 Gram. (of a word) indicating nationality. --n.
1 (Gentile) a person who is not Jewish.
2 Gram. a word indicating nationality. [ME f. L gentilis f. gens gentis family: see GENS]

gladiator
gladiator: n.
1 hist. a man trained to fight with a sword or other weapons at ancient Roman shows.
2 a person defending or opposing a cause; a controversialist. gladiatorial adj. [L f. gladius sword]

gamete
gamete: n. Biol. a mature germ cell able to unite with another in sexual reproduction. gametic adj. [mod.L gameta f. Gk gamete wife f. gamos marriage]

gratis
gratis: adv. & adj. free; without charge. [L, contracted ablat. pl. of gratia favour]

garner
garner: v. & n. --v.tr.
1 collect.
2 store, deposit. --n. literary a storehouse or granary. [ME (orig. as noun) f. OF gernier f. L granarium GRANARY]

garden
garden: n. & v. --n.
1 esp. Brit. a piece of ground, usu. partly grassed and adjoining a private house, used for growing flowers, fruit, or vegetables, and as a place of recreation.
2 (esp. in pl.) ornamental grounds laid out for public enjoyment (botanical gardens).
3 a similar place with the service of refreshments (tea garden).
4 (attrib.) a (of plants) cultivated, not wild. b for use in a garden (garden seat).
5 (usu. in pl. prec. by a name) Brit. a street, square, etc. (Onslow Gardens).
6 an especially fertile region.
7 US a large public hall.
8 (the Garden) the philosophy or school of Epicurus. --v.intr. cultivate or work in a garden. garden centre an establishment where plants and garden equipment etc. are sold. garden city an industrial or other town laid out systematically with spacious surroundings, parks, etc. garden cress a cruciferous plant, Lepidium sativum, used in salads. garden party a social event held on a lawn or in a garden. garden suburb Brit. a suburb laid out spaciously with open spaces, parks, etc. garden warbler a European woodland songbird, Sylvia borin. gardenesque adj. gardening n. [ME f. ONF gardin (OF jardin) ult. f. Gmc: cf. YARD(2)]

gender
gender: n.
1 a the grammatical classification of nouns and related words, roughly corresponding to the two sexes and sexlessness. b each of the classes of nouns (see MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER COMMON adj. 6).
2 (of nouns and related words) the property of belonging to such a class.
3 colloq. a person's sex. [ME f. OF gendre ult. f. L GENUS]

goofy
goofy: adj. (goofier, goofiest.
1 stupid, silly, daft.
2 having protruding or crooked front teeth. goofily adv. goofiness n.

goddess
goddess: n.
1 a female deity.
2 a woman who is adored, esp. for her beauty.

gravel
gravel: n. & v. --n.
1 a a mixture of coarse sand and small water-worn or pounded stones, used for paths and roads and as an aggregate. b Geol. a stratum of this.
2 Med. aggregations of crystals formed in the urinary tract. --v.tr. (gravelled, gravelling; US graveled, graveling.
1 lay or strew with gravel.
2 perplex, puzzle, nonplus (from an obs. sense 'run (a ship) aground'). gravel-blind literary almost completely blind ('more than sand-blind', in Shakesp. Merchant of Venice II. ii. 33). [ME f. OF gravel(e) dimin. of grave (as GRAVE(4))]

gabbro
gabbro: n. (pl. -os) a dark granular plutonic rock of crystalline texture. gabbroic adj. gabbroid adv. [It. f. Gabbro in Tuscany]

groove
groove: n. & v. --n.
1 a a channel or hollow, esp. one made to guide motion or receive a corresponding ridge. b a spiral track cut in a gramophone record.
2 an established routine or habit, esp. a monotonous one. --v.
1 tr. make a groove or grooves in.
2 intr. sl. a enjoy oneself. b (often foll. by with) make progress; get on well. Often with ref. to popular music or jazz; now largely disused in general contexts. in the groove sl.
1 doing or performing well.
2 fashionable. [ME, = mine-shaft, f. obs. Du. groeve furrow f. Gmc]

galore
galore: adv. in abundance (placed after noun : flowers galore). [Ir. go ler to sufficiency]

gangue
gangue: n. valueless earth etc. in which ore is found. [F f. G Gang lode = GANG(1)]

glycol
glycol: n. a diol, esp. ethylene glycol. glycolic adj. glycollic adj. [GLYCERINE + -OL(1), orig. as being intermediate between glycerine and alcohol]

gambit
gambit: n.
1 a chess opening in which a player sacrifices a piece or pawn to secure an advantage.
2 an opening move in a discussion etc.
3 a trick or device. [earlier gambett f. It. gambetto tripping up f. gamba leg]

glim
glim: n.
1 a faint light.
2 archaic sl. a candle; a lantern. [17th c.: perh. abbr. of GLIMMER or GLIMPSE]

great
great: adj. & n. --adj.
1 a of a size, amount, extent, or intensity considerably above the normal or average; big (made a great hole; take great care; lived to a great age). b also with implied surprise, admiration, contempt, etc., esp. in exclamations (you great idiot!; great stuff!; look at that great wasp). c reinforcing other words denoting size, quantity, etc. (a great big hole; a great many).
2 important, pre-eminent; worthy or most worthy of consideration (the great thing is not to get caught).
3 grand, imposing (a great occasion; the great hall).
4 a (esp. of a public or historic figure) distinguished; prominent. b (the Great) as a title denoting the most important of the name (Alfred the Great).
5 a (of a person) remarkable in ability, character, achievement, etc. (great men; a great thinker). b (of a thing) outstanding of its kind (the Great Fire).
6 (foll. by at, on) competent, skilled, well-informed.
7 fully deserving the name of; doing a thing habitually or extensively (a great reader; a great believer in tolerance; not a great one for travelling).
8 (also greater) the larger of the name, species, etc. (great auk; greater celandine).
9 (Greater) (of a city etc.) including adjacent urban areas (Greater Manchester). 10 colloq. a very enjoyable or satisfactory; attractive, fine (had a great time; it would be great if we won). b (as an exclam.) fine, very good. 11 (in comb.) (in names of family relationships) denoting one degree further removed upwards or downwards (great-uncle; great-great-grandmother). --n.
1 a great or outstanding person or thing.
2 (in pl.) (Greats) colloq. (at Oxford University) an honours course or final examinations in classics and philosophy. great and small all classes or types. the Great Bear see BEAR(2) ). Great Britain England, Wales, and Scotland. great circle see CIRCLE . Great Dane see DANE . great deal see DEAL(1) ). great-hearted magnanimous; having a noble or generous mind. great-heartedness magnanimity. the great majority by far the most. great northern diver a diving sea bird, Gavia immer, of the northern hemisphere. great organ the chief manual in a large organ, with its related pipes and mechanism. Great Russian n. a member or the language of the principal ethnic group in the USSR; Russian. --adj. of or relating to this people or language. great tit a Eurasian songbird, Parus major, with black and white head markings. great toe the big toe. Great War the world war of 1914-18. to a great extent largely. greatness n. [OE great f. WG]

gallstone
gallstone: n. a small hard mass forming in the gall-bladder.

greyhound
greyhound: n.
1 a dog of a tall slender breed having keen sight and capable of high speed, used in racing and coursing.
2 this breed. [OE grighund f. grieg bitch (unrecorded: cf. ON grey) + hund dog, rel. to HOUND]

gabble
gabble: v. & n. --v.
1 intr. a talk volubly or inarticulately. b read aloud too fast.
2 tr. utter too fast, esp. in reading aloud. --n. fast unintelligible talk. gabbler n. [MDu. gabbelen (imit.)]

glaucoma
glaucoma: n. an eye-condition with increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight. glaucomatous adj. [L f. Gk glaukoma -atos, ult. f. glaukos: see GLAUCOUS]

glazier
glazier: n. a person whose trade is glazing windows etc. glaziery n.

genius
genius: n. (pl. geniuses or genii.
1 (pl. geniuses) a an exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability or tendency. b a person having this.
2 the tutelary spirit of a person, place, institution, etc.
3 a person or spirit regarded as powerfully influencing a person for good or evil.
4 the prevalent feeling or associations etc. of a nation, age, etc. [L (in sense 2) f. the root of gignere beget]

gallery
gallery: n. (pl. -ies.
1 a room or building for showing works of art.
2 a balcony, esp. a platform projecting from the inner wall of a church, hall, etc., providing extra room for spectators etc. or reserved for musicians etc. (minstrels' gallery).
3 a the highest balcony in a theatre. b its occupants.
4 a a covered space for walking in, partly open at the side; a portico or colonnade. b a long narrow passage in the thickness of a wall or supported on corbels, open towards the interior of the building.
5 a long narrow room, passage, or corridor.
6 Mil. & Mining a horizontal underground passage.
7 a group of spectators at a golf-match etc. play to the gallery seek to win approval by appealing to popular taste. galleried adj. [F galerie f. It. galleria f. med.L galeria]

gymnastics
gymnastics: n.pl. (also treated as sing..
1 exercises developing or displaying physical agility and coordination, usu. in competition.
2 other forms of physical or mental agility.

galoot
galoot: n. colloq. a person, esp. a strange or clumsy one. [19th-c. Naut. sl.: orig. unkn.]