gaunt

See also: Gaunt

English

Alternative forms

• gant (dialectal, Scotland)
• gent (Scotland)

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English gawnt, gawnte (“lean, slender”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French, probably from a Scandinavian source, related to Old Norse gandr (“magic staff, stick”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *gandaz (“stick, staff”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“to beat, hit, drive”). Cognate with Icelandic gandur (“magic staff”), Norwegian gand (“tall pointed stick; tall, thin man”), Danish gand, gan, Norwegian gana (“cut-off tree limbs”), Bavarian Gunten (“a kind of wedge or peg”). Related also to Old English gūþ (“battle”), Latin dēfendō (“ward off, defend”). Compare also (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Swedish dialectal gank (“a lean, emaciated horse”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: gônt, IPA^(key): /ɡɔːnt/
• enPR: gänt, IPA^(key): /ɡɑːnt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːnt, -ɑːnt

Adjective

gaunt (comparative gaunter, superlative gauntest)

1. lean, angular, and bony
   • 1894, Joseph Jacobs, chapter 1, in The Fables of Aesop‎^[1]:

     A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by.

2. haggard, drawn, and emaciated
   • 1917, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 5, in His Last Bow‎^[2]:

     In the dim light of a foggy November day the sick room was a gloomy spot, but it was that gaunt, wasted face staring at me from the bed which sent a chill to my heart.

3. bleak, barren, and desolate
   • 1896, Mary Baker Eddy, “The Way”, in Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896‎^[3], page 355:

     The present stage of progress in Christian Science presents two opposite aspects, — a full-orbed promise, and a gaunt want.

   • 1908, William Hope Hodgson, chapter 14, in The House on the Borderland‎^[4]:

     Behind me, rose up, to an extraordinary height, gaunt, black cliffs.

Synonyms

• scraggy, scrawny, skinny

Translations

lean, angular and bony

• Bulgarian: мършав (bg) (mǎršav), костелив (bg) (kosteliv)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瘦削 (zh) (shòuxuē)

• Dutch: mager (nl)
• Finnish: luiseva (fi)
• French: maigre (fr), osseux (fr) m, anguleux (fr) m
• Georgian: გამხდარი (gamxdari), მჭლე (mč̣le)
• German: knochig, dünn (de), hager (de), mager (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: smagrito (it), allampanato (it), emaciato (it), macilento (it), ossuto (it), scheletrico (it)
• Japanese: げっそりやせた (gessoriyaseta)
• Polish: szczupły (pl) m
• Russian: сухопа́рый (ru) (suxopáryj), костля́вый (ru) (kostljávyj), то́щий (ru) (tóščij), худо́й (ru) (xudój)
• Serbo-Croatian: koščat (sh), suhonjav (sh), ispijen (sh)
• Welsh: achul

haggard, drawn and emaciated

• Bulgarian: измъчен (bg) (izmǎčen), изтощен (bg) (iztošten)
• French: émacié (fr)
• Georgian: ძალღონე გამოლეული (ʒalɣone gamoleuli), ღონემიხდილი (ɣonemixdili), გასავათებული (gasavatebuli)
• German: abgemagert (de), ausgemergelt (de)
• Maori: pakoko, pāohe, pāhehaheha
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: wymizerowany m
• Russian: исхуда́лый (ru) (isxudályj), исхуда́вший (ru) (isxudávšij)
• Spanish: demacrado (es), chupado (es), macilento (es)

bleak, barren, and desolate

• Bulgarian: мрачен (bg) (mračen), запуснат (bg) (zapusnat)
• Finnish: karu (fi), jylhä
• Georgian: ბნელი (bneli), უდაბური (udaburi), უკაცრიელი (ka) (uḳacrieli)
• German: kahl (de), nackt (de), öde (de), verlassen (de), trostlos (de), karg (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 荒涼とした (kōryōtoshita)
• Korean: 황량한 (hwangnyanghan), 황폐 한 (hwangpye han)
• Spanish: demacrado (es)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “gaunt”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Tunga, untag

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Scots

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Alternative forms

• gant

Verb

gaunt

1. To yawn.

Noun

gaunt (plural gaunts)

1. A yawn.