GALORE

[Dr. Goodword]

• galore •

Pronunciation: gê-lor • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: In abundance.

Notes: Today's good adjective is unusual in that, rather than appearing before the noun it modifies, it appears after it: "Words galore mean fun galore." Enough, the original meaning of today's word, is an adjective that may be placed on either side of its noun: "I have had enough turnips for one day" or "I have had turnips enough for one day." Galore, however, may only follow its noun.

In Play: The opportunity to use today's word lurks wherever there is superfluity: "Investigators of Enron Corporation's management have found guilt galore" (plenty to go around). Since his novels often deal with excesses, it should be no surprise that the world of Ian Fleming offers opportunities for the exercise of this word: "Even though he is in captivity for much of the novel, James Bond has adventures Galore in Ian Fleming's novel, Goldfinger."

Word History: Today's good word comes from Irish Gaelic go leór "enough", based on go, an adverb particle + leór "enough". Leór is a variant of Old Irish roar, a reduction of Proto-Indo-European ro- "for" + werê "truth". In Latin we see the same root in verus "true", a word at the base of many English borrowings referring to truth: verify, verdict, aver. Yes, very also came from Latin verus via Old French verai "true". The PIE root werê also emerged in English warlock "male witch", from Old English wærloga "oath-breaker": wær "oath" + loga "liar". (Which reminds us, we are very grateful to Jon Jackson for providing us lexical fun galore with the suggestion of today's word.)

[Audiendus]

Today's good adjective is unusual in that, rather than appearing before the noun it modifies, it appears after it: "Words galore mean fun galore." Enough, the original meaning of today's word, is an adjective that may be placed on either side of its noun: "I have had enough turnips for one day" or "I have had turnips enough for one day." Galore, however, may only follow its noun.

Can anyone think of other English adjectives that can only follow their noun?

Some adjectives may follow the noun, e.g. proper (as in "the competition proper", as opposed to the preliminary rounds). Some follow a noun in particular terms such as "court martial" and "notary public". The adjective "general" is hyphenated after a noun, e.g. major-general, attorney-general, director-general. Finally, there are a few borrowed French adjectives that are placed after the noun, e.g. manqué and extraordinaire.

[Slava]

Elect? As in President-elect.

Laureate? As in Nobel or Poet?

Pro Tem? Not English English, but still post-positive.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there are probably examples aplenty.

[Audiendus]

Thanks. Of the examples you have given, I think "aplenty" is the only exact parallel to "galore", being a single word, fully independent (i.e. not part of a set noun-adjective phrase), unhyphenated, and never placed before a noun. Also, the two words mean the same.

[Perry]

Laureate is a word that can also stand independently, as far as i know.