gad

Meanings

1. 1
   intj

   dated: a mild exclamation of surprise, emphasis, or impatience, used as a euphemism for God

   Gad, that was a close escape!

2. 2
   verb

   to go from place to place in a restless or frivolous search for amusement

   They spent the afternoon gadding about the shops instead of working.

3. 3
   noun

   a pointed metal spike or goad, including one used to urge an animal forward

   The handler carried a short gad for driving the reluctant ox.

Simplified etymology

Gad in gad about probably developed from the obsolete Germanic word gadling, which first meant “companion” and later “wanderer” or “vagabond.” Its use may also have been influenced by obsolete verbs meaning “to rush about like an animal stung by gadflies” and “to goad oxen,” though their exact relationship is unclear.

The exclamation is a euphemistic alteration of God. The noun for a pointed spike descends through Middle English from an Old Norse word meaning spike, while the wandering verb is historically associated with roaming about; the modern spelling brings these distinct histories together.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary