gaudy

WOTD – 7 November 2010    

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈɡɔː.di/
• (US) IPA: /ˈɡɑ.di/, /ˈɡɔ.di/
• Rhymes: -ɔːdi

Etymology 1

Origin uncertain; perhaps from gaud (“ornament, trinket”), itself perhaps from Old French gaudir (“to rejoice”).

A common claim that the word derives from Antoni Gaudí, designer of Barcelona's Sagrada Família Basilica, is not supported by evidence (the word was in use at least half a century before Gaudí was born).

Adjective

gaudy (comparative gaudier, superlative gaudiest)

1. very showy or ornamented, now especially when excessive, or in a tasteless or vulgar manner
   • 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice:

     The rooms were lofty and handsome, and their furniture suitable to the fortune of its proprietor; but Elizabeth saw, with admiration of his taste, that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine; with less of splendour, and more real elegance, than the furniture of Rosings.

   • 1887, Homer Greene, Burnham Breaker:

     A large gaudy, flowing cravat, and an ill-used silk hat, set well back on the wearer's head, completed this somewhat noticeable costume.

   • 2005, Thomas Hauser & Marilyn Cole Lownes, "How Bling-bling Took Over the Ring", The Observer, 9 January 2005:

     Gaudy jewellery might offend some people's sense of style. But former heavyweight champion and grilling-machine entrepreneur George Foreman is philosophical about today's craze for bling-bling.

Synonyms

• (excessively showy): tawdry, flashy, garish, kitschy
• Wikisaurus:gaudy

Derived terms

• gaudily
• gaudy night

Translations

very showy or ornamented

• Bulgarian: евтин (bg) (évtin)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 花哨 (cmn) (huāshao), 俗麗 (cmn), 俗丽 (cmn) (súlì)

• Czech: nevkusný (cs)
• Dutch: ordinair (nl), opvallend (nl), schreeuwlelijk (nl)
• French: voyant (fr), criard (fr), surfait (fr), kitsch (fr), vulgaire (fr)
• German: knallig (de), grell (de), protzig (de), kitschig (de)
• Hungarian: cifra (hu)
• Irish: gairéadach (ga), scéiniúil (ga), taibhseach (ga), spiagaí (ga)
• Italian: chiassoso (it), vistoso (it), sgargiante (it)

• Japanese: どぎつい (ja) (dogitsui), 派手な (ja) (はでな, hade-na), けばけばしい (ja) (kebakebashii), あくどい (ja) (akudoi)
• Manx: ard-ghaaoil (gv)
• Polish: jarmarczny (pl)
• Russian: цветастый (ru) (cvetástyj), кричащий (ru) (kričáščij), безвкусный (ru) (bezvkúsnyj)
• Spanish: llamativo (es), vistoso (es), sobrecargado (es), vulgar (es), feúcho (es), chillón (es), hortera (es)
• Tagalog: jologs (tl)

Noun

gaudy (plural gaudies)

1. One of the large beads in the rosary at which the paternoster is recited.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Gower to this entry?)

Etymology 2

From Latin gaudium "joy".

Noun

gaudy (plural gaudies)

1. A reunion held by one of the colleges of the University of Oxford for alumni, normally held during the summer vacations.