Gothic Meaning

/ˈɡɒθ.ɪk/
B2

Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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adjAlternative letter-case form of Gothic.

nameAn extinct Germanic language, once spoken by the Goths.

It is a typical Gothic church.
The church is built in Gothic style.
Gothic novels reappeared at the end of the century.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The famous ____ cathedral was built in the Middle Ages.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old cathedral is a classic example of ____ architecture, with its pointed arches and flying buttresses.

From Late Latin gothicus (“Gothic, barbaric”), from Ancient Greek Γοτθικός (Gotthikós), from Ancient Greek Γότθοι (Gótthoi, “Goths”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”), proposed to derive from unattested Gothic *𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌰 (*guta). Equivalent to Goth + -ic. The various usages of the adjective are introduced nearly simultaneously in the first half of the 17th century. The literal meaning “of the Goths” is found in the 1611 preface of the King James Bible, in reference to the Gothicke tongue. The generalized meaning of “Germanic, Teutonic” appears in the 1640s. Reference to the medieval period in Western Europe, and specifically the architecture of that period (“barbaric style”, initially a term of abuse), also appears in the 1640s, as does reference to “Gothic characters” or “Gothic letters” in typography.

"“[W]hat he holds of all things to be most gothic, is gallantry to the women.”" — 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, II.iii.6:
"Enormities which gleam like comets through the darkness of gothic and superstitious ages." — 1812 letter, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prose Works, volume II, quoted in OED, published 1888, page 384:
"Or does the L.C.C. [London County Council] dislike nineteenth century Gothic?" — 1944 January and February, C. F. Cobon, “The County of London Plan”, in Railway Magazine, page 24:
"The Gothic style did not cease to exist: it did, however, cease to be all-powerful, and it almost ceased to create new forms. Gothic architects had by this time drawn every possible conclusion from the premises which had been laid down […]" — 2000, Paul Frankl, Paul Crossley, Gothic Architecture, Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 258:
"Shelley's two early novels Zastrozzi and St. Irvyne are, as many scholars have noted, obviously connected to the tradition of the Gothic novel; as well, two volumes of early poetry contain Gothic elements and his tragedy The Cenci has been […]" — 1975, John V. Murphy, The Dark Angel: Gothic Elements in Shelley's Works, Bucknell University Press, →ISBN, page 9:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
The famous ____ cathedral was built in the Middle Ages.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old cathedral is a classic example of ____ architecture, with its pointed arches and flying buttresses.

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