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git in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press A plant ( Nigella sativa), variously named black cumin, Roman coriander, or melanthion. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Noun post-1990 spelling of gît ( third-person singular present indicative of gésir)Ĭompare Hebrew גַּד ( gad ) (This etymology is missing or incomplete. gitzwart ( jet-black, the blackest black). ( masculine ) a stone made of this material. ( neuter ) jet (black, gemstone-like geological material). Git n or f ( plural gitten, diminutive gitje n) Hunt, Alison Maloney (2006) Joy of Swearing, →ISBNįrom French jet, or directly from Latin gagātēs after Ancient Greek Γαγάτης ( Gagátēs ), from Γάγας ( Gágas, “ a town and river in Lycia ” ). ^ Geoffrey Hughes (2006) An encyclopedia of swearing, →ISBN, page 477.
^ Douglas Harper (2001–2022), “ git”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. The word has been ruled by the Speaker of the House of Commons to be unparliamentary language. In the Republic of Ireland, get, rather than git is used. In parts of northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, get is still used in preference to git. The phrase "grumpy old git", denoting a cantankerous old man, is used with particular frequency. For instance a "smarmy git" refers to a person of a slimy, ingratiating disposition a "jammy git" would be a person with undeserved luck. Git is frequently used in conjunction with another word to achieve a more specific meaning. "You cheeky get!" is slightly less harsh than "You cheeky git!". Get can also be used, with a subtle change of meaning. Git is usually used as an insult, more severe than twit but less severe than a true profanity like wanker or arsehole, and may often be used affectionately between friends. ( Britain, slang, derogatory ) A silly, incompetent, stupid, or annoying person (usually a man). A southern variant of Scots get ( “ illegitimate child, brat ” ), related to beget. ( Received Pronunciation, General American ) IPA ( key): /ɡɪt/įrom Middle English get ( “ offspring ” ). All of these words or their origins can be traced back to before the internet, but the internet made their development and widespread use possible.English Alternative forms Beyond abbreviations, terms like “dumpster fire,” “personally attacked,” “cringey,” “selfie,” and many more originated online. For example, some people will use the acronym IRL in speech, just as they might say other slang that originated on the internet like BAE (before anyone else), YOLO (you only live once) and DM (direct message). Internet slang varies and can be very specialized for particular groups or users of a certain platform and usually depends on a person’s age, social groups and who they are communicating with.Īs internet slang has become more widespread, it has seeped into everyday spoken English IRL. Thanks to social media and the speed information can travel now, texting slang is constantly being updated and adopting new words and abbreviations. One of the biggest ways slang has affected language in the 21st century is the rise of the internet and SMS text. Slang Changes Everyday Conversations: From Internet to IRL What a miserable old git Word Origin 1940s: variant of the noun get, referring to a person whom the speaker dislikes. git noun /t/ /t/ (British English, slang) jump to other results a stupid or unpleasant man. This phenomenon continuously expands and enriches the English language. Definition of git noun from the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. These old words and many others continue to be used widely with their original meaning, but over time they take on new meanings for younger generations. Back then it meant “intoxicated” and it is still used in that context, but now it also means something is cool. For example, “that’s lit” has been a slang term since the 1910s.
When words are adopted as slang, the number of possible meanings expands rather than narrows.Īdditionally, other slang words with the same meaning as cool are constantly being created and used. Originally cool meant a chilly temperature or a calm composure, but at some point in the 1930s it started appearing as a casual expression meaning “really good or interesting.”Ĭool is widely used as a slang term but has also retained its original meaning. Some words that were once cool have faded from use, only to be revived by the current generation with a different meaning.