Gibstaff Gib"staff` noun [ Prov. English gib a hooked stick + English staff .] 1. A staff to guage water, or to push a boat. 2. A staff formerly used in fighting beasts on the stage. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Gid Gid noun [ Confer Giddy , adjective ] A disease of sheep, characterized by vertigo; the staggers. It is caused by the presence of the C...nurus, a larval tapeworm, in the brain. See C...nurus .

Giddily Gid"di·ly adverb In a giddy manner.

Giddiness Gid"di·ness noun The quality or state of being giddy.

Giddy Gid"dy adjective [ Compar. Giddier ; superl. Giddiest .] [ Middle English gidi mad, silly, Anglo-Saxon gidig , of unknown origin, confer Norw. gidda to shake, tremble.] 1. Having in the head a sensation of whirling or reeling about; having lost the power of preserving the balance of the body, and therefore wavering and inclined to fall; lightheaded; dizzy.

By giddy head and staggering legs betrayed.

Tate. 2. Promoting or inducing giddiness; as, a giddy height; a giddy precipice. Prior.

Upon the giddy footing of the hatches.

Shak. 3. Bewildering on account of rapid turning; running round with celerity; gyratory; whirling.

The giddy motion of the whirling mill.

Pope. 4. Characterized by inconstancy; unstable; changeable; fickle; wild; thoughtless; heedless. " Giddy , foolish hours." Rowe. " Giddy chance." Dryden.

Young heads are giddy and young hearts are warm.

Cowper.

Giddy Gid"dy intransitive verb To reel; to whirl. Chapman.

Giddy Gid"dy transitive verb To make dizzy or unsteady. [ Obsolete]

Giddy-head Gid"dy-head` noun A person without thought fulness, prudence, or judgment. [ Colloq.] Burton.

Giddy-headed Gid"dy-head`ed adjective Thoughtless; unsteady.

Giddy-paced Gid"dy-paced` adjective Moving irregularly; flighty; fickle. [ R.] Shak.

Gie Gie transitive verb To guide. See Gye . [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Gie Gie transitive verb To give. [ Scot.] Burns.

Gier-eagle Gier"-ea`gle noun [ Confer Dutch gier vulture, German gier , and English gyrfalcon .] (Zoology) A bird referred to in the Bible ( Lev. xi. 18 and Deut. xiv. 17 ) as unclean, probably the Egyptian vulture ( Neophron percnopterus ).

Gier-falcon Gier"-fal`con noun [ Confer Gier- eagle , Gyrfalcon .] (Zoology) The gyrfalcon.

Gieseckite Gie"seck·ite noun [ Named after Karl Giesecke .] (Min.) A mineral occurring in greenish gray six-sided prisms, having a greasy luster. It is probably a pseudomorph after elæolite.

Gif Gif conj. [ Anglo-Saxon See If .] If. [ Obsolete] » Gif is the old form of if , and frequently occurs in the earlier English writers. See If .

Giffard injector Gif"fard in·ject"or (Machinery) See under Injector .

Giffgaff Giff"gaff noun [ Reduplicated from give .] Mutual accommodation; mutual giving. [ Scot.]

Giffy Gif"fy noun [ Obsolete] See Jiffy .

Gift Gift noun [ Middle English gift , yift , yeft , Anglo-Saxon gift , from gifan to give; akin to D. & German gift , Icelandic gift , gipt , Goth. gifts (in comp.). See Give , transitive verb ] 1. Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation; a present; an offering.

Shall I receive by gift , what of my own, . . .
I can command ?

Milton. 2. The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing; as, the office is in the gift of the President. 3. A bribe; anything given to corrupt.

Neither take a gift , for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise.

Deut. xvi. 19. 4. Some quality or endowment given to man by God; a preëminent and special talent or aptitude; power; faculty; as, the gift of wit; a gift for speaking. 5. (Law) A voluntary transfer of real or personal property, without any consideration. It can be perfected only by deed, or in case of personal property, by an actual delivery of possession. Bouvier. Burrill. Gift rope (Naut) , a rope extended to a boat for towing it; a guest rope. Syn. -- Present; donation; grant; largess; benefaction; boon; bounty; gratuity; endowment; talent; faculty. -- Gift , Present , Donation . These words, as here compared, denote something gratuitously imparted to another out of one's property. A gift is something given whether by a superior or an inferior, and is usually designed for the relief or benefit of him who receives it. A present is ordinarly from an equal or inferior, and is always intended as a compliment or expression of kindness. Donation is a word of more dignity, denoting, properly, a gift of considerable value, and ordinarly a gift made either to some public institution, or to an individual on account of his services to the public; as, a donation to a hospital, a charitable society, or a minister.

Gift Gift transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Gifted ; present participle & verbal noun Gifting .] To endow with some power or faculty.

He was gifted . . . with philosophical sagacity.

I. Taylor.

Giftedness Gift"ed·ness noun The state of being gifted. Echard.

Gig Gig (jĭg or gĭg) noun [ Confer Old French gigue . See Jig , noun ] A fiddle. [ Obsolete]

Gig Gig (gĭg) transitive verb [ Prob. from Latin gignere to beget.] To engender. [ Obsolete] Dryden.

Gig Gig noun A kind of spear or harpoon. See Fishgig .

Gig Gig transitive verb To fish with a gig.

Gig Gig noun [ Middle English gigge . Confer Giglot .] A playful or wanton girl; a giglot.

Gig Gig noun [ Confer Icelandic gīgja fiddle, Middle High German gīge , German geige , Icelandic geiga to take a wrong direction, rove at random, and English jig .] 1. A top or whirligig; any little thing that is whirled round in play.

Thou disputest like an infant; go, whip thy gig .

Shak. 2. A light carriage, with one pair of wheels, drawn by one horse; a kind of chaise. 3. (Nautical) A long, light rowboat, generally clinkerbuilt, and designed to be fast; a boat appropriated to the use of the commanding officer; as, the captain's gig . 4. (Machinery) A rotatory cylinder, covered with wire teeth or teasels, for teaseling woolen cloth. Gig machine , Gigging machine , Gig mill , or Napping machine . See Gig , 4. -- Gig saw . See Jig saw .

Gigantean Gi`gan·te"an adjective [ Latin giganteus , from gigas , antis . See Giant .] Like a giant; mighty; gigantic. [ Obsolete] Dr. H. More.

Gigantesque Gi`gan·tesque" adjective [ French] Befitting a giant; bombastic; magniloquent.

The sort of mock-heroic gigantesque
With which we bantered little Lilia first.

Tennyson.

Gigantic Gi·gan"tic adjective [ Latin gigas , -antis , giant. See Giant .] 1. Of extraordinary size; like a giant. 2. Such as a giant might use, make, or cause; immense; tremendous; extraordinarly; as, gigantic deeds; gigantic wickedness. Milton.

When descends on the Atlantic
The gigantic
Strom wind of the equinox.

Longfellow.

Gigantical Gi·gan"tic·al adjective Bulky, big. [ Obsolete] Burton. -- Gi*gan"tic*al*ly , adverb

Giganticide Gi·gan"ti·cide noun [ . gigas , -antis , giant + caedere to kill.] The act of killing, or one who kills, a giant. Hallam.

Gigantine Gi·gan"tine adjective Gigantic. [ Obsolete] Bullokar.

Gigantology Gi`gan·tol"og·y noun [ Greek ..., ..., giant + -logy : confer French gigantologie .] An account or description of giants.

Gigantomachy Gi`gan·tom"a·chy noun [ Latin gigantomachia , from Greek ...; ..., ..., giant + ... battle: confer French gigantomachie .] A war of giants; especially, the fabulous war of the giants against heaven.

Gige Gige (gĭj or gēj), Guige noun [ Old French guide , guiche .] (Anc. Armor) The leather strap by which the shield of a knight was slung across the shoulder, or across the neck and shoulder. Meyrick (Ancient Armor).

Gigerium Gi·ge"ri·um noun ; plural Gigeria . [ New Latin , from Latin gigeria , plural, the cooked entrails of poultry.] (Anat.) The muscular stomach, or gizzard, of birds.

Gigget Gig"get noun Same as Gigot .

Cut the slaves to giggets .

Beau. & Fl.

Giggle Gig"gle transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Giggled ; present participle & verbal noun Giggling .] [ Akin to gaggle : confer OD. ghichelen , German kichern .] To laugh with short catches of the breath or voice; to laugh in a light, affected, or silly manner; to titter with childish levity.

Giggling and laughing with all their might
At the piteous hap of the fairy wight.

J. R. Drake.

Giggle Gig"gle noun A kind of laugh, with short catches of the voice or breath; a light, silly laugh.

Giggler Gig"gler noun One who giggles or titters.

Giggly Gig"gly adjective Prone to giggling. Carlyle.

Giggot Gig"got noun See Gigot . [ Obsolete] Chapman.

Giggyng Gig"gyng noun [ See Gige .] The act of fastending the gige or leather strap to the shield. [ Obsolete] " Gigging of shields." Chaucer.

Giglot Gig"lot adjective Giddi; light; inconstant; wanton. [ Obsolete] "O giglot fortune!" Shak.

Giglot, Giglet Gig"lot, Gig"let noun [ Confer Icelandic gikkr a pert, rude person, Danish giek a fool, silly man, Anglo-Saxon gagol , gægl , lascivious, wanton, Middle High German gogel wanton, giege fool, and English gig a wanton person.] A wanton; a lascivious or light, giddy girl. [ Obsolete]

The giglet is willful, and is running upon her fate.

Sir W. Scott.

Gigot, Giggot Gig"ot, Gig"got noun [ French, from Old French gigue fiddle; -- on account of the resemblance in shape. See Jig , noun ] 1. A leg of mutton. 2. A small piece of flesh; a slice. [ Obsolete]

The rest in giggots cut, they spit.

Chapman.

Gigue Gigue (zheg) noun [ French] A piece of lively dance music, in two strains which are repeated; also, the dance.

Gila monster Gi"la mon"ster (Zoology) A large tuberculated lizard ( Heloderma suspectum ) native of the dry plains of Arizona, New Mexico, etc. It is the only lizard known to have venomous teeth.