Mysteries of vernacular: Gorgeous - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

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From whirlpools and ravines to superlative beauty, what is the trajectory of the word gorgeous? Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel reveal the surprising variations in meaning (and what turtleneck-like fashion has to do with it).

Lesson by Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel, animation by Jessica Oreck.

Mysteries of vernacular:

Gorgeous,

beautiful or very attractive.

The source of the word gorgeous

can be found in the Latin word, gurges,

used by the Romans to describe

a whirling, swirling whirlpool.

Thanks to the aquatic phenomenon's cylindrical shape

and gurgling form,

gurges also came to mean throat.

By the time gurges reached England in the 14th century,

it had been altered to gorge.

This, to the English, seemed like an appropriate way

to describe a steep and rocky ravine,

a metaphorical extension of the words

referenced to the throat.

The French, however, transformed gorge into gorgias

and used it to describe

one of the most fashionable trends

of the Middle Ages,

also known as a wimple.

This popular article of clothing

revealed only the madame's visage,

covering her shoulders,

head,

and, of course, her throat.

A stylish and intricate gorgias

was so telling of class and affluence

that the word soon came to mean

fond of dress and elegant.

This newly fashioned adjective

voyaged into Middle English as gorgayse,

where it was fully emphasized as gorgeous.

Since then, it has been linked to all things

of exceptionally graceful allure.