gad
One who roams about idlyOne who roams about idly; a gadabout.
» I've gadded enough of that story.
Meaning
8 sensesOne who roams about idly; a gadabout.
(Northern England, Scotland, derogatory)A greedy and/or stupid person.
Get over here, ye good-for-nothing gadǃ
(UK, US, dialectal, especially)A goad, a sharp-pointed rod for driving cattle, horses, etc, or one with a whip or thong on the end for the same purpose.
(UK, US, dialectal)A rod or stick, such as a fishing rod or a measuring rod.
(especially)A pointed metal tool for breaking or chiselling rock; a pick.
(dated)An indeterminate measure of metal produced by a furnace, sometimes equivalent to a bloom weighing around 100 pounds.
A spike on a gauntlet; a gadling.
(obsolete)A metal bar.
- a sharp prod fixed to a rider's heel and used to urge a horse onward
- an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc. that has lasted for more than six months
Examples
2 sentencesI've gadded enough of that story.
Gad, being girded, shall fight before him: and he himself shall be girded backward.
Origin
From Middle English gadden (“to hurry, to rush about”), of obscure origin. From Middle EnFrom Middle English gadden (“to hurry, to rush about”), of obscure origin.
From Middle English gade (“a fool, simpleton, rascal, scoundrel; bastard”), from Old English *gada (“fellow, companion, comrade, associate”), from Proto-West Germanic *gadō, from Proto-Germanic *gadô, *gagadô (“companion, associate”), related to Proto-West Germanic *gaduling (“kinsman”). Cognate with Dutch gade (“spouse”), German Gatte (“male spouse, husband”). See also gadling.
From Middle English gad, gadde, borrowed from Old Norse gaddr (“goad, spike”), from Proto-Germanic *gazdaz (“spike, rod, stake”). Doublet of goad and yard.
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Forms
plural: gadsSynonyms
5 synonyms- a sharp prod fixed to a rider's heel and used to urge a horse onward:spur
- an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc. that has lasted for more than six months:generalized anxiety disorderanxiety reaction