gorgeous

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈɡɔɹ.d͡ʒəs/ UK /ˈɡɔː.dʒəs/ See IPA manual

Freq #2527

Meanings

1

adj
Extremely beautiful or attractive.

She looked absolutely gorgeous in her new dress.
2

adj
Very pleasant, enjoyable, or delicious.

We had gorgeous weather for the whole holiday.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms gorgeously

Derived forms beautimousgorgeositygorgeouslygorgeousnessungorgeous

Related forms gorge

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

gorgeous view
a scene that looks very beautiful

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English gorgeouse, a borrowing from Middle French gorgias (“elegant, fashionable”), from Old French gourgias, gorgias (“gorgeous, gaudy, flaunting, gallant, fine”), of uncertain origin, but apparently connected with Old French gorgias (“a gorget, ruffle for the neck”), from Old French gorge (“bosom, throat”). See gorge. Semantic evolution probably akin to "swelling of the throat or bosom due to pride, bridling up" to "assume an air of importance, flaunting".

gorgeouse Middle English gorgias Middle French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# gorgeous

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡɔɹ.d͡ʒəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɡɔː.dʒəs/
**Frequency rank:** 2527

## Meanings
1. Extremely beautiful or attractive.
2. Very pleasant, enjoyable, or delicious.

## Examples
- She looked absolutely gorgeous in her new dress.
- We had gorgeous weather for the whole holiday.

## Derived Forms
- beautimous
- gorgeosity
- gorgeously
- gorgeousness
- ungorgeous

## Related Forms
- gorge

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: gorgeouse
- Root: gorgias

## Etymology
From Middle English gorgeouse, a borrowing from Middle French gorgias (“elegant, fashionable”), from Old French gourgias, gorgias (“gorgeous, gaudy, flaunting, gallant, fine”), of uncertain origin, but apparently connected with Old French gorgias (“a gorget, ruffle for the neck”), from Old French gorge (“bosom, throat”). See gorge. Semantic evolution probably akin to "swelling of the throat or bosom due to pride, bridling up" to "assume an air of importance, flaunting".

## AI Etymology
Gorgeous comes from Middle English gorgeouse, a borrowing from Middle French gorgias (“elegant, fashionable”), from Old French gourgias, gorgias (“gorgeous, gaudy, flaunting, gallant, fine”), of uncertain origin, but apparently connected with Old French gorgias (“a gorget, ruffle for the neck”), from Old French gorge (“bosom, throat”). See gorge. Semantic evolution probably akin to "swelling of the throat or bosom due to pride, bridling up" to "assume an air of importance, flaunting". In current use, the main senses are “Extremely beautiful or attractive” and “Very pleasant, enjoyable, or delicious”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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