Word
gothic
Phoneticsgoth·ic
US/ˈɡɑθɪk/
UK/ɡˈɒθɪk/
Definition
adj. describing a style of building with pointed arches and tall windows, or a type of story that is dark, scary, and mysterious.
adj. relating to a style of European architecture from the 12th to 16th centuries, or to a literary genre characterised by gloom, the grotesque, and the supernatural.
Examples
“The city is famous for its beautiful gothic cathedral.”
“She loves reading gothic novels set in crumbling castles with dark secrets and stormy nights.”
“The architect incorporated gothic elements like flying buttresses and ribbed vaults to give the university library a sense of historical weight and grandeur.”
Examples
simple
“The city is famous for its beautiful gothic cathedral.”
contextual
“She loves reading gothic novels set in crumbling castles with dark secrets and stormy nights.”
complex
“The architect incorporated gothic elements like flying buttresses and ribbed vaults to give the university library a sense of historical weight and grandeur.”
Usage
Typically placed before the noun it modifies; often capitalised when referring to the specific historical period or style.
Etymology
From Late Latin gothicus (“Gothic, barbaric”), from Ancient Greek Γοτθικός (Gotthikós), from Ancient Greek Γότθοι (Gótthoi, “Goths”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”), proposed to derive from unattested Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌰 (guta). Equivalent to Goth + -ic. The various usages of the adjective are introduced nearly simultaneously in the first half of the 17th century. The literal meaning “of the Goths” is found in the 1611 preface of the King James Bible, in reference to the Gothicke tongue. The generalized meaning of “Germanic, Teutonic” appears in the 1640s. Reference to the medieval period in Western Europe, and specifically the architecture of that period (“barbaric style”, initially a term of abuse), also appears in the 1640s, as does reference to “Gothic characters” or “Gothic letters” in typography.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/gothic