Mysteries of vernacular: Gorgeous - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel
Mysteries of vernacular:
Gorgeous,
beautiful or very attractive.
The source of the word gorgeous
can be found in the Latin word, gurges,
used by the Romans to describe
a whirling, swirling whirlpool.
Thanks to the aquatic phenomenon's cylindrical shape
and gurgling form,
gurges also came to mean throat.
By the time gurges reached England in the 14th century,
it had been altered to gorge.
This, to the English, seemed like an appropriate way
to describe a steep and rocky ravine,
a metaphorical extension of the words
referenced to the throat.
The French, however, transformed gorge into gorgias
and used it to describe
one of the most fashionable trends
of the Middle Ages,
also known as a wimple.
This popular article of clothing
revealed only the madame's visage,
covering her shoulders,
head,
and, of course, her throat .
A stylish and intricate gorgias
was so telling of class and affluence
that the word soon came to mean
fond of dress and elegant.
This newly fashioned adjective
voyaged into Middle English as gorgayse,
where it was fully anglicized as gorgeous.
Since then, it has been linked to all things
of exceptionally graceful allure.
