Gorgeous

How to spell gorgeous

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce gorgeous

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does gorgeous mean?

1. adjectiveStrikingly beautiful, splendid, or extremely pleasant.

Gorgeous in a sentence

• The hotel offered a gorgeous view across the harbour.

• She wore a gorgeous silk dress to the awards dinner.

Where does gorgeous come from?

Language of origin: French

The word comes from the Old French gorgias, which meant 'elegant', 'fashionable', or 'fond of fine clothing'. That adjective grew out of gorge, the French word for 'throat' or 'bosom', because fashionable dress in the late Middle Ages put so much emphasis on elaborate ruffs, collars, and ornaments worn at the neck and breast. English borrowed it in the early 1400s, at first describing showy, sumptuous clothing and richly decorated things rather than people. Over the centuries the sense softened and broadened from 'lavishly adorned' to the modern, general meaning of 'beautiful' or 'splendid'. The slightly odd spelling, with its soft 'ge' followed by '-ous', is the real trap: the silent 'e' is kept to keep the 'j' sound soft, which is why writers must remember the '-geous' ending rather than '-gous'.

How the word is built

• gorge- (from Old French gorgias: elegant, fond of finery)
• -ous (adjective suffix meaning 'full of, having')