Gan Gan imperfect of
Gin . [ See
Gin ,
v. ]
Began; commenced. »
Gan was formerly used with the infinitive to form compound imperfects, as
did is now employed.
Gan regularly denotes the singular; the plural is usually denoted by
gunne or
gonne .
This man gan fall ( i.e. , fell) in great suspicion.
Chaucer. The little coines to their play gunne hie ( i. e. , hied).
Chaucer. Later writers use
gan both for singular and plural.
Yet at her speech their rages gan relent.
Spenser.
Ganancial Ga·nan"cial adjective [ Spanish , pertaining to gain, held in common, from
ganancia gain.]
(Law) Designating, pertaining to, or held under, the Spanish system of law (called ganancial system ) which controls the title and disposition of the property acquired during marriage by the husband or wife.
Ganch Ganch transitive verb [ Confer French
ganche ,
noun , also Spanish & Portuguese
gancho hook, Italian
gancio .]
To drop from a high place upon sharp stakes or hooks, as the Turks dropped malefactors, by way of punishment. Ganching , which is to let fall from on high upon hooks, and there to hang until they die.
Sandys.
Gander Gan"der noun [ Anglo-Saxon
gandra ,
ganra , akin to Prov. German
gander ,
ganter , and English
goose ,
gannet . See
Goose .]
The male of any species of goose.
Gane Gane intransitive verb [ See
Yawn .]
To yawn; to gape. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Ganesa Ga·ne"sa noun (Hind. Myth.) The Hindoo god of wisdom or prudence. » He is represented as a short, fat, red-colored man, with a large belly and the head of an elephant.
Balfour.
Gang Gang intransitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon
gangan , akin to Old Saxon & Old High German
gangan , Icelandic
ganga , Goth.
gaggan ; confer Lithuanian
...engti to walk, Sanskrit
ja...gha leg. √48. Confer
Go .]
To go; to walk. » Obsolete in English literature, but still used in the North of England, and also in Scotland.
Gang Gang noun [ Icelandic
gangr a going, gang, akin to Anglo-Saxon , D., G., & Danish
gang a going, Goth.
gaggs street, way. See
Gang ,
intransitive verb ]
1. A going; a course. [ Obsolete]
2. A number going in company; hence, a company, or a number of persons associated for a particular purpose; a group of laborers under one foreman; a squad; as, a gang of sailors; a chain gang ; a gang of thieves. 3. A combination of similar implements arranged so as, by acting together, to save time or labor; a set; as, a gang of saws, or of plows. 4. (Nautical) A set; all required for an outfit; as, a new gang of stays. 5. [ Confer
Gangue .]
(Mining) The mineral substance which incloses a vein; a matrix; a gangue. Gang board , or
Gang plank .
(Nautical) (a) A board or plank, with cleats for steps, forming a bridge by which to enter or leave a vessel. (b) A plank within or without the bulwarks of a vessel's waist, for the sentinel to walk on. --
Gang cask ,
a small cask in which to bring water aboard ships or in which it is kept on deck. --
Gang cultivator ,
Gang plow ,
a cultivator or plow in which several shares are attached to one frame, so as to make two or more furrows at the same time. --
Gang days ,
Rogation days; the time of perambulating parishes. See Gang week (below). --
Gang drill ,
a drilling machine having a number of drills driven from a common shaft. --
Gang master ,
a master or employer of a gang of workmen. --
Gang plank .
See Gang board (above). --
Gang plow .
See Gang cultivator (above). --
Gang press ,
a press for operating upon a pile or row of objects separated by intervening plates. --
Gang saw ,
a saw fitted to be one of a combination or gang of saws hung together in a frame or sash, and set at fixed distances apart. --
Gang tide .
See Gang week (below). --
Gang tooth ,
a projecting tooth. [ Obsolete]
Halliwell. --
Gang week ,
Rogation week, when formerly processions were made to survey the bounds of parishes. Halliwell. --
Live gang , or
Round gang ,
the Western and the Eastern names, respectively, for a gang of saws for cutting the round log into boards at one operation. Knight. --
Slabbing gang ,
an arrangement of saws which cuts slabs from two sides of a log, leaving the middle part as a thick beam.
Gang-flower Gang"-flow`er noun (Botany) The common English milkwort ( Polygala vulgaris ), so called from blossoming in gang week. Dr. Prior.
Gange Gange transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Ganged ;
present participle & verbal noun Ganging .] [ Of uncertain origin.]
1. To protect (the part of a line next a fishhook, or the hook itself) by winding it with wire. 2. To attach (a fishhook) to a line or snell, as by knotting the line around the shank of the hook.
Ganger Gang"er noun One who oversees a gang of workmen. [ R.]
Mayhew.
Gangetic Gan·get"ic adjective Pertaining to, or inhabiting, the Ganges; as, the Gangetic shark.
Gangion Gan"gion noun [ Etymol. uncertain.]
A short line attached to a trawl. See Trawl , noun
Gangliac, Ganglial Gan"gli·ac, Gan"gli·al adjective (Anat.) Relating to a ganglion; ganglionic.
Gangliate, Gangliated Gan"gli·ate, Gan"gli·a`ted adjective (Anat.) Furnished with ganglia; as, the gangliated cords of the sympathetic nervous system.
Gangliform, Ganglioform Gan"gli·form`, Gan"gli·o·form` adjective [
Ganglion +
-form .]
(Anat.) Having the form of a ganglion.
Ganglion Gan"gli·on noun ;
plural Latin
Ganglia , English
Ganglions . [ Latin
ganglion a sort of swelling or excrescence, a tumor under the skin, Greek ...: confer French
ganglion .]
1. (Anat.) (a) A mass or knot of nervous matter, including nerve cells, usually forming an enlargement in the course of a nerve. (b) A node, or gland in the lymphatic system; as, a lymphatic ganglion . 2. (Medicine) A globular, hard, indolent tumor, situated somewhere on a tendon, and commonly formed by the effusion of a viscid fluid into it; -- called also weeping sinew . Ganglion cell ,
a nerve cell. See Illust. under Bipolar .
Ganglionary Gan"gli·on·a·ry adjective [ Confer French
ganglionnarie .]
(Anat.) Ganglionic.
Ganglionic Gan`gli·on"ic adjective [ Confer French
ganglionique .]
(Anat.) Pertaining to, containing, or consisting of, ganglia or ganglion cells; as, a ganglionic artery; the ganglionic columns of the spinal cord.
Gangrel Gan"grel adjective [ Confer
Gang ,
intransitive verb ]
Wandering; vagrant. [ Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.
Gangrenate Gan"gre·nate transitive verb To gangrene. [ Obsolete]
Gangrene Gan"grene noun [ French
gangrène , Latin
gangraena , from Greek ..., from ... to gnaw, eat; confer Sanskrit
gras ,
gar , to devour, and English
voracious , also
canker ,
noun , in sense 3.]
(Medicine) A term formerly restricted to mortification of the soft tissues which has not advanced so far as to produce complete loss of vitality; but now applied to mortification of the soft parts in any stage.
Gangrene Gan"grene transitive verb & i. [
imperfect & past participle Gangrened ;
present participle & verbal noun Gangrening .] [ Confer French
gangréner .]
To produce gangrene in; to be affected with gangrene.
Gangrenescent Gan`gre·nes"cent adjective Tending to mortification or gangrene.
Gangrenous Gan"gre·nous adjective [ Confer French
gangréneux .]
Affected by, or produced by, gangrene; of the nature of gangrene.
Gangue Gangue noun [ French
gangue , from German
gang a metallic vein, a passage. See
Gang ,
noun ]
(Mining) The mineral or earthy substance associated with metallic ore.
Gangway Gang"way` noun [ See
Gang ,
intransitive verb ]
1. A passage or way into or out of any inclosed place; esp., a temporary way of access formed of planks. 2. In the English House of Commons, a narrow aisle across the house, below which sit those who do not vote steadly either with the government or with the opposition. 3. (Nautical) The opening through the bulwarks of a vessel by which persons enter or leave it. 4. (Nautical) That part of the spar deck of a vessel on each side of the booms, from the quarter-deck to the forecastle; -- more properly termed the waist . Totten. Gangway ladder ,
a ladder rigged on the side of a vessel at the gangway. --
To bring to the gangway ,
to punish (a seaman) by flogging him at the gangway.
Ganil Gan"il noun [ French]
A kind of brittle limestone. [ Prov. Eng.]
Kirwan.
Ganister, Gannister Gan"is·ter, Gan"nis·ter noun (Mech.) A refractory material consisting of crushed or ground siliceous stone, mixed with fire clay; -- used for lining Bessemer converters; also used for macadamizing roads.
Ganja Gan"ja noun [ Hind.
gānjhā .]
The dried hemp plant, used in India for smoking. It is extremely narcotic and intoxicating.
Gannet Gan"net noun [ Middle English
gant , Anglo-Saxon
ganet , ganot, a sea fowl, a fen duck; akin to Dutch
gent gander, Old High German
ganazzo . See
Gander ,
Goose .]
(Zoology) One of several species of sea birds of the genus Sula , allied to the pelicans. » The common gannet of Europe and America (
S. bassana ), is also called
solan goose ,
chandel goose , and
gentleman . In Florida the wood ibis is commonly called
gannet .
Booby gannet .
See Sula .
Ganocephala Gan`o·ceph"a·la noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... brightness + ... head.]
(Paleon.) A group of fossil amphibians allied to the labyrinthodonts, having the head defended by bony, sculptured plates, as in some ganoid fishes.
Ganocephalous Gan`o·ceph"a·lous adjective (Paleon.) Of or pertaining to the Ganocephala.
Ganoid Ga"noid adjective [ Greek ... brightness +
-oid .]
(Zoology) Of or pertaining to Ganoidei. -- noun One of the Ganoidei. Ganoid scale (Zoology) ,
one kind of scales of the ganoid fishes, composed of an inner layer of bone, and an outer layer of shining enamel. They are often so arranged as to form a coat of mail.
Ganoidal Ga·noid"al adjective (Zoology) Ganoid.
Ganoidei Ga·noi"de·i noun plural [ New Latin See
Ganoid .]
(Zoology) One of the subclasses of fishes. They have an arterial cone and bulb, spiral intestinal valve, and the optic nerves united by a chiasma. Many of the species are covered with bony plates, or with ganoid scales; others have cycloid scales. » They were numerous, and some of them of large size, in early geological periods; but they are represented by comparatively few living species, most of which inhabit fresh waters, as the bowfin, gar pike, bichir, Ceratodus, paddle fish, and sturgeon.
Ganoidian Ga·noid"i·an adjective & noun (Zoology) Ganoid.
Ganoine Ga"no·ine noun (Zoology) A peculiar bony tissue beneath the enamel of a ganoid scale.
Gansa Gan"sa noun Same as Ganza . Bp. Hall.
Gantlet Gant"let noun [
Gantlet is corrupted from
gantlope ;
gantlope is for
gatelope , Swedish
gatlopp , orig., a running down a lane; gata street, lane + lopp course, career, akin to löpa to run. See
Gate a way, and
Leap .]
A military punishment formerly in use, wherein the offender was made to run between two files of men facing one another, who struck him as he passed. To run the gantlet ,
to suffer the punishment of the gantlet; hence, to go through the ordeal of severe criticism or controversy, or ill-treatment at many hands. Winthrop ran the gantlet of daily slights.
Palfrey. » Written also, but less properly,
gauntlet .
Gantlet Gant"let noun A glove. See Gauntlet .
Gantline Gant"line` noun A line rigged to a mast; -- used in hoisting rigging; a girtline.
Gantlope Gant"lope` noun See Gantlet . [ Obsolete]
Gantry Gan"try noun See Gauntree .
Ganz system Ganz system A haulage system for canal boats, in which an electric locomotive running on a monorail has its adhesion materially increased by the pull of the tow rope on a series of inclined gripping wheels.
Ganza Gan"za noun [ Spanish
gansa ,
ganso , goose; of Gothic origin. See
Gannet ,
Goose .]
A kind of wild goose, by a flock of which a virtuoso was fabled to be carried to the lunar world. [ Also
gansa .]
Johnson.
Gaol Gaol noun [ See
Jail .]
A place of confinement, especially for minor offenses or provisional imprisonment; a jail. [ Preferably, and in the United States usually, written
jail .]
Commission of general gaol delivery ,
an authority conferred upon judges and others included in it, for trying and delivering every prisoner in jail when the judges, upon their circuit, arrive at the place for holding court, and for discharging any whom the grand jury fail to indict. [ Eng.] --
Gaol delivery .
(Law) See Jail delivery , under Jail .
Gaoler Gaol"er noun The keeper of a jail. See Jailer .
Gap Gap noun [ Middle English
gap ; confer Icelandic
gap an empty space, Swedish
gap mouth, breach, abyss, Danish
gab mouth, opening, Anglo-Saxon
geap expanse; as adj., wide, spacious. See
Gape .]
An opening in anything made by breaking or parting; as, a gap in a fence; an opening for a passage or entrance; an opening which implies a breach or defect; a vacant space or time; a hiatus; a mountain pass. Miseries ensued by the opening of that gap .
Knolles. It would make a great gap in your own honor.
Shak. Gap lathe (Machinery) ,
a turning lathe with a deep notch in the bed to admit of turning a short object of large diameter. --
To stand in the gap ,
to expose one's self for the protection of something; to make defense against any assailing danger; to take the place of a fallen defender or supporter. --
To stop a gap ,
to secure a weak point; to repair a defect.
Gap Gap transitive verb 1. To notch, as a sword or knife. 2. To make an opening in; to breach. Their masses are gapp'd with our grape.
Tennyson.
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