gothic

CEFRB2

/ˈɡɒθ.ɪk/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Relating to a style known for dark themes, pointed shapes, or old buildings.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    A particular species of moth of the family Noctuidae, Naenia typica.

Examples

  • Gothic novels reappeared at the end of the century.

  • The church is built in Gothic style.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Certain moths of the family Noctuidae.

  2. Alternative letter-case form of Gothic.

More examples

In context

  • It is a typical Gothic church.

  • Gothic arches

  • Gothic letters

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The famous blank cathedral was built in the Middle Ages.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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),...