gaffe

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɡæf/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French gaffe (“blunder”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} probably a special use of gaffe “boat hook”,^[6][5][4] from Old Provençal gaf or gafar “to seize”,^[4][5] of Germanic origin.^[4][5] It is the same word as English gaff “hook”.^[2][3][6] The connection between the hook and the blunder is obscure,^[5] and Etymonline also allows British slang gaff “to cheat” or “loud rude talk”.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A blunder, an instance of clumsy stupidity, a faux pas (1909).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept the meaning it had when it was borrowed,^[7][3] and is used especially of social or diplomatic blunders, often made in public.^[3][1]

Timeline

• 1909 – a blunder, a faux pas.^[7][3][4][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A clumsy social or diplomatic blunder; a faux pas.
2. A noticeable mistake or misjudgment.

Related words

• gaff
• faux pas

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press