gest
Americannoun
-
a story or tale.
-
a deed or exploit.
-
Archaic. a metrical romance or history.
noun
-
a notable deed or exploit
-
a tale of adventure or romance, esp in verse See also chanson de geste
Etymology
Origin of gest
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French geste action, exploit < Latin gesta exploits, neuter plural past participle of gerere to carry on, perform
Explanation
A gest is something you would read about in a tale of King Arthur, such as a heroic deed or exploit by one of Arthur's knights. Geste is another spelling of the word. A gest may also be a poem or story about an epic deed or exploit. For example, The Song of Roland is an 11th-century French poem or gest about the heroic deeds of the emperor Charlemagne's knights. In fact, the French word geste is where we got our word gest in the medieval period, since French literature was the main source of such stories and poems. The Song of Roland belongs to a category of poem called chanson de geste in French, "song of heroic deeds."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If a phrase sparks the gest of song memory endures longer — like the hum of a taut string in the dark.
From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2021
Arturo Frondizi, 53, President of Argentina and currently his country's most unpopular man, was waiting to see whether he would be allowed to remain as elected Chief Executive of South America's second big gest nation.
From Time Magazine Archive
Not daring to sug gest that Germany will ask for the emergency moratorium provided in the Young Plan, Herr Bruning hinted that circumstances may force the Allies to grant it.
From Time Magazine Archive
The most significant fact about Salazar's relationship with the Countess is that not even the gossipy Portuguese, not even Salazar's thousands of enemies, sug gest that she is his mistress.
From Time Magazine Archive
“You could see your neighbor very dimly. Those ten seconds were the lon- gest ten seconds that I ever experienced.”
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
