gosh English · revision 14977

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=coinage|attested=1757}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ɡɒʃ/, US /ɡɑːʃ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an altered pronunciation and spelling of [[God]], a euphemism used in oaths,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(Hoad 1986) probably developed from by gosse,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) which is in Udall's Ralph Roister Doister (before 1553).^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A mild oath or exclamation, at first in the phrase ''by gosh'': 1757.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Etymonline compares losh, an 18th-century exclamation of surprise that the Century Dictionary called a distortion of Lord.^(Etymonline) The OED also records goshawful.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1553 – by gosse.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1757 – gosh.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Interjection===

+ # An exclamation of mild surprise, wonder or delight.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[golly]]

+ * [[gee]]

+ * [[god]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The EDD records gosh in oaths in Scotland and many English counties, as well as in America.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}