gash1
[gash]
- a long, deep wound or cut; slash.
- Slang: Vulgar.
- the vagina.
- Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.a contemptuous term used to refer to a woman considered as a sex object.
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- to make a long, deep cut in; slash.
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Origin of gash1
1540–50; alteration (with -sh perhaps from slash1) of Middle English garsen < Old French garser, jarsier (French gercer) to scarify, wound < Vulgar Latin *charaxāre < Greek charássein to scratch, notch
Usage note
When referring to a female, this term is used with disparaging intent and perceived as highly insulting. The word cunt shows a similar transfer of meaning from a woman’s genitalia to the woman herself.
gash2
[gash]
- wise, sagacious.
- neat; well-dressed; well-groomed.
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Origin of gash2
First recorded in 1700–10; origin uncertain
gash3
[gash]
- dreary or gloomy in appearance.
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Origin of gash3
First recorded in 1580–90; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
lacerationincisiontearsplitwoundgougemarkslitrentslashcleftnipnotchfurrowlancecleaverendinjurelacerateinciseExamples from the Web for gash
Contemporary Examples
There is a gash across his forehead, a cut on his lip, small bruises on his cheek and ear, but they are all surface.
He was lucky his injuries were minor, the worst being the 40 stitches needed for the gash on his leg.
Suicide Crisis: Why the Military Needs Mandatory Mental-Health ServicesMarjorie Morrison
September 27, 2012
Zimmerman, 28, suffered a broken nose, a gash to his head, and other injuries, according to Sanford police reports.
St. Vincent sat there stunned, blood dripping from a gash above his left eye.
Historical Examples
You may make yourself as light as any gash balloon,' said Mrs Gamp.
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
When his thoughts settled on the pain this gash caused him, he suffered cruelly.
Therese RaquinEmile Zola
The gash in his skull must have reached his brain, for he had become a mere animal.
The Fat and the ThinEmile Zola
He paused to breathe, and to survey the gash he had made in the side of the tree.
Despair's Last JourneyDavid Christie Murray
He could move about now, and the gash in his head had ceased bleeding.
Ruth Fielding and the GypsiesAlice B. Emerson
gash1
- (tr) to make a long deep cut or wound in; slash
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- a long deep cut or wound
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Word Origin
C16: from Old French garser to scratch, wound, from Vulgar Latin charissāre (unattested), from Greek kharassein to scratch
gash2
- slang surplus to requirements; unnecessary, extra, or spare
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Word Origin
C20: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for gash
n.
1540s, from Middle English garce (early 13c.), from Old North French garser "to scarify, cut, slash" (Old French *garse), apparently from Vulgar Latin *charassare, from Greek kharassein "engrave," from PIE *gher- "to scrape, scratch" (cf. character). Loss of -r- is characteristic (see ass (n.2)). Slang use for "vulva" dates to mid-1700s.
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v.
1560s, alteration of garsen (late 14c.), from Old North French garser "to cut, slash" (see gash (n.)). Related: Gashed; gashing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gash
(găsh)- To make a long, deep cut in; slash deeply.
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- A long, deep cut.
- A deep flesh wound.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.