gaffe

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ɡæf/ UK /ɡæf/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
an embarrassing social blunder or tactless mistake

His gaffe at the dinner left the hosts visibly uncomfortable.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an embarrassing social... blunder mistakefaux passlip error indiscretion

Etymology

From French 'gaffe' ('blunder', literally 'boat hook'), from Provençal 'gaf', from the verb 'gafar' ('to seize'), of Germanic origin.

gaffe French

View etymology graph ->

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# gaffe

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɡæf/
**IPA (UK):** /ɡæf/

## Meanings
1. an embarrassing social blunder or tactless mistake

## Examples
- His gaffe at the dinner left the hosts visibly uncomfortable.

## Synonyms
- blunder
- mistake
- faux pas
- slip
- error
- indiscretion

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: gaffe

## Etymology
From French 'gaffe' ('blunder', literally 'boat hook'), from Provençal 'gaf', from the verb 'gafar' ('to seize'), of Germanic origin.

## AI Etymology
Gaffe comes from French 'gaffe' ('blunder', literally 'boat hook'), from Provençal 'gaf', from the verb 'gafar' ('to seize'), of Germanic origin. The development is chiefly a borrowing or learned continuation, carrying an older form and meaning into English rather than building the word from a purely native base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "an embarrassing social blunder or tactless mistake", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The named historical forms include French gaffe, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes blunder, mistake, faux pas, and slip, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- People & Society

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gaffe

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