GLOAT

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7417
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

GLOAT

Postby Dr. Goodword » Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:06 pm

• gloat •

Pronunciation: glowt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive (no direct object)

Meaning: 1. To take immense malicious satisfaction in something (used with the prepositions at and over). 2. To gaze at something with intense satisfaction (with the prepositions on, over or upon).

Notes: Although we don't encounter this sense any more in the US, the Oxford English Dictionary still lists meaning No. 2 above. We include it because it is the bridge between the sense of the word most frequently used today and the word's previous meaning of looking (see Word History). Someone who gloats is a gloater engaged in the process of gloating. Gloating may also be used as an adjective (the gloating father) and an adverb if properly suffixed (to tell of his wife's success gloatingly).

In Play: Gloating is a malicious though not evil sort of pride: "Farnsworth gloated over receiving the promotion rather than Snodgrass until he discovered that it came with no raise." Use of the second meaning is slowly diminishing, which is why we bring it up: "Natalie Cladd gloated on her new $4000 gown several minutes before putting it on." We hope it will return to our conversations and remain there.

Word History: When you gloat you shine, perhaps overshine, from some accomplishment so it is not surprising that today's Good Word originates in the Proto-Indo-European word for shine, ghol-/ghel-. The Os and Es in this type of root often get lost along the way, in this case resulting in ghl-. This form has a superfluity of great-grandchildren in all the English words beginning on GL referring to light, such as gleam, glitter, glisten, glare, glimmer, and glow. The forms with O and E became gold and yellow in English, Gold and gelb "yellow" in German. Over the years this root also took on various senses related to "to look" in the Germanic languages. It turns up as glotzen "to stare, gawk" in German and in some Swedish dialects it appears as glotta "to peep". English probably borrowed one of these words for today's Good Word though the chain of evidence is broken.P=
• The Good Dr. Goodword

narh
Junior Lexiterian
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:54 am
Location: AZ and MN

The word Gloat

Postby narh » Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:11 am

Related perhaps via pie Ghol thru the italoceltic branch to the ancient Welsh word goleuad meaning "shining?" ("Goleuad Caledwlch" was the name of a mythical famous sword, meaning "shining hard belly"-- to imply invinceable -- I think.)
Glory be to God for dappled things-

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
Contact:

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sun Jun 24, 2012 9:48 am

Welcome to the forum, nahr. Continue to feel free to share your stash of knowledge and experience. Impressive first post!
pl

Philip Hudson
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2784
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
Location: Texas

Postby Philip Hudson » Sun Jun 24, 2012 4:45 pm

Welcome nahr. We can use more people interested in Celtic language sources.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

Philip Hudson
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2784
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
Location: Texas

Postby Philip Hudson » Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:08 pm

Having read some German and a lot of technical German, I seem to have forgotten that gold in English means Gold in German. I thought it was Edelmetall, which it is, along with the other noble metals. Even people who are old as dirt can learn or be reminded by the Good Doctor. Then there is German Geld which I assume is derived from German Gold. Compare Edelmetall to Edelweiss -the pure white flower of Austria from "The Sound of Music".
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

LukeJavan8
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 4423
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
Location: Land of the Flat Water

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:12 pm

Welcome Nahr. Hopefully many Welsh words will
be treated by yourself. Celtic is in so many words
and we need to understand it better.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
Contact:

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:28 pm

Nahr - what's the source of the dappled things quote? I like it!
pl

Philip Hudson
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2784
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
Location: Texas

Postby Philip Hudson » Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:17 pm

“Pied Beauty"
By Gerard Manley Hopkins, a nineteenth century English Jesuit Priest

Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
Contact:

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:21 pm

Thanks to nahr and Philip for a great poem and idea I was unaware of.
pl


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot], Semrush [Bot] and 32 guests