*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of gormy

Either: * from gorm (“fool; one who is undiscerning”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘having the quality of’); or * a variant of gaumy (“awkward”), from gaum (“to stare idly or vacantly; to gape, gaze; to be awk

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Awkward, clumsy, klutzy, ungainly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Either: * from gorm (“fool; one who is undiscerning”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘having the quality of’); or * a variant of gaumy (“awkward”), from gaum (“to stare idly or vacantly; to gape, gaze; to be awkward or stupid; a lout; a gaping, idle fellow”) + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "adjective"
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      "expansion": "adjective"
    },
    {
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        "2": "gorm",
        "3": "y",
        "t1": "fool; one who is undiscerning",
        "pos2": "suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘having the quality of’",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "gorm (“fool; one who is undiscerning”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘having the quality of’)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "4"
      },
      "expansion": "⁴"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "3"
      },
      "expansion": "³"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "gorm#English"
    ],
    [
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      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
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    ],
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      "-y#English"
    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Awkward, clumsy, klutzy, ungainly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "New-England",
        "Northern-England",
        "UK",
        "US",
        "not-comparable"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Alternative spelling of gaumy (“sticky, smeared with something sticky; grimy”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From gorm, gaum (“to smear; grime (noun)”) + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "id2": "adjectival"
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      "expansion": "gaum (“to smear; grime (noun)”) + -y"
    },
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      "name": "nb...",
      "args": {
        "1": "book and job printer."
      },
      "expansion": "[…]"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of gaumy (“sticky, smeared with something sticky; grimy”)."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for gormy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-Z29ybXk