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.

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

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images