George
English
Etymology
Name of an early saint, from Middle English George, from Latin Geōrgius, from Ancient Greek Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgĭos), from γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer, earth worker”), from γῆ (gê, “earth”) (combining form γεω- (geō-)) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”) Doublet of Jorge and Geevarghese.
The aircraft autopilot sense is probably from George DeBeeson, who patented an early (1931) autopilot system, and/or a reference to the expression let George do it. The Pullman porter sense derives from George Pullman, who hired Black people to staff his sleeping cars, and the patrons of the service seeing the Black people as servants of George Porter, much like how an enslaved person was named after the enslaver.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /dʒɔː(ɹ)dʒ/
Audio (General Australian): (file) Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)dʒ
Noun
George
- (World War II era, joint US/RAF) radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter G.
- Synonym: Golf
Proper noun
George (plural Georges)
- A male given name from Ancient Greek.
- c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 203:
- Our ancient word of courage faire saint George / Inspire vs with the spleene of fierie Dragons,
- 1830, Mary Russell Mitford, Our Village: Fourth Series: Cottage Names::
- George and Charles are unlucky in this respect; they have no diminutives, and what a mouthful of monosyllables they are! names royal too, and therefore unshortened. A king must be of a very rare class who could afford to be called by shorthand;
- 1977, Joyce Grenfell, Nursery School::
- George... don't do that!
- 2020 June 7, Kate Bennett, “Michelle Obama to 2020 graduates: ‘For those of you who feel invisible: Please know that your story matters’”, in CNN[1]:
- “In light of the current state of our country, I struggled to find the right words of wisdom for you today,” Obama says in her lengthiest public remarks to date about the protests taking place in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
- An English and Welsh surname originating as a patronymic.
- A French surname originating as a patronymic.
- A German surname originating as a patronymic, a variant of Georg.
- A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic], an anglicization of Seoirse.
- A diminutive of the female given names Georgina or Georgia; also used in the conjoined name George Ann(e).
- 1925, [US state of] Georgia's Official Register, page 100:
- Roy Davis Stubbs, Eatonton, Judge. Son of Robert D. and Maud (Middleton) Stubbs. [...] Married Miss George Smith Feb. 14, 1918 in Knoxville, Tenn.
- 2004, George Sargent Janes Leubuscher, Douglas W. Patton, A Girl Named George: My First Hundred Years
- (aviation, slang) The autopilot of an aircraft.
- 1956, Flying Magazine, volume 59, number 6, page 33:
- "'George rides in the back, aft of the baggage compartment,” said Aviation Sales Manager, John Brophy, with a smile as he climbed out. […] I switched on the autopilot and turned the turn knob to the left to get the turn-bank indicator to show a one-needle turn. Instantly, George rolled the Cessna into a smooth 10° bank to the left.
- 1993, Flying, volume 120, page 73:
- I relied on "George" and "Fred"—the autopilot and the flight director—to fly the airplane while I worked my way through […]
- (Canada, US, slang, dated) Generic name for a Pullman porter.
- A city in the Western Cape province, South Africa; named for George III of the United Kingdom.
- A locale in the United States.
- A city in Lyon County, Iowa; named for the son of a railroad official.
- A minor city in Grant County, Washington; named for George Washington, 1st president of the United States.
- A ghost town in Franklin County, Missouri; named for postmaster Stephen H. George.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- Farmer George
- Fort George
- Fort George Cay
- Fraser-Fort George
- George County
- George Cross
- George Dog Island
- Georgeson
- George Town
- Georgetown
- George Washington
- George West
- Georgia
- Georgian
- Georgiana
- Georgie
- Georgina
- GW
- GWB
- Hinton St George
- King George
- King George County
- King George whiting
- let George do it
- Mad King George
- Middleton St George
- Prince George
- Prince George County
- Prince George's County
- ride St. George
- riding St. George
- Saint George
- Saint George Gingerland
- St George
- St. George
- St George's
- St. George's
- St Georges
- St Georges and Priorslee
- St Georges-super-Ely
Related terms
Descendants
Translations
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Noun
George (plural Georges)
- (slang, archaic) A coin bearing King George's profile.
- 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
- Take the Georges, Pew, and don’t stand here squalling.
- A jewelled figure of St George slaying the dragon, worn by Knights of the Garter.
- 1908, Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, A History of the George Worn on the Scaffold by Charles I, page 93:
- […] the King appears to be wearing a George containing the motto inside the gems, as it is in the jewel at Windsor.
Derived terms
- George plateroon (a counterfeit coin)
Further reading
- “George n.1”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
- “George n.3”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
Afrikaans
Etymology
Named after George III of the United Kingdom.
Proper noun
George
- George (a city in the Western Cape, South Africa)
Derived terms
Cebuano
Etymology
Proper noun
George
- a male given name from English [in turn from Ancient Greek]
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from English George. Doublet of Giorgio.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɔrd͡ʒ/, /ˈd͡ʒord͡ʒ/[1]
- Rhymes: -ɔrdʒ, -ordʒ
Proper noun
George m or f by sense
- a male given name and surname in English
References
- ^ George in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdʒe̯ordʒe/
Audio: (file)
Proper noun
George m
- a male given name; variant form Gheorghe
Derived terms
Scots
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdʒɔr(d)ʒ/, /ˈdʒor(d)ʒ/
Proper noun
George
- a male given name, equivalent to English George
Derived terms
Swedish
Etymology
From English George. Variant of the standard Swedish Georg. Both names ultimately derive from Ancient Greek Γεώργιος (Geṓrgios), name of a legendary dragon-slaying saint.
Proper noun
George c (genitive Georges)
- a male given name