Definitions
Etymologies
- Alteration of garsún, ultimately from Old French garçun. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Three times a week a "gossoon" ran with the post to Oughterard, thirty-six miles away, where the nearest coach passed.”
“I mourn the earth-worms, the cacti, and the tireless "gossoon,"' added”
“You don't want Da to think you're what he calls a “namby-pamby gossoon,” do you?”
“Rackrent was not expected to live over night; so Jason thought it high time to he moving to the Lodge, to make his bargain with my master about the jointure afore it should be too late, and afore the little gossoon should reach us with the news.”
“The Editor has known a gossoon to go on foot, without shoes or stockings, fifty-one”
“In most Irish families there used to be a barefooted gossoon, who was slave to the cook and the butler, and who, in fact, without wages, did all the hard work of the house.”
“First came a bacah on crutches; then came a woman with a white swelling; then came an individual who had nothing at all the matter with him, and was only a poor unfortunate, wandering about the world; then came a far cake, 22 a dark man, who was led about by a gossoon; after him a simpley, and after the simpleton somebody else as much or more unfortunate.”
“On this occasion the Caleb Balderston of her house came in, making stately bows to his mistress, and with low voice, and eyes wide open, told her what a gossoon running over from”
“I was a strapping young gossoon at that time, I tell you.”
“My master gave me no orders to prevint any person from seeing the black spalpeen; and as a goold yankee sovereign can't be picked up every day in the street, faith it's yerself Dennis Macarty, that will take the responsibility, and let this good-looking gossoon in to see black Nero, and bad luck to him! ”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘gossoon’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Papageno's Words, Pt. II
cicurate, circumforaneous, codger, comiconomenclaturist, constable, contradistinction, contraindicated, counterpane, coxcomb, decalcomania, decanal, decoction and 307 more...
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-oons (once of more than one syllable)
Originally this list was to contain multisyllabic words that end in "oon," but as you can see from the comments, all hell broke loose.
doubloon, poltroon, spittoon, patroon, dragoon, bassoon, platoon, typhoon, rangoon, maroon, pontoon, monsoon and 96 more...
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ulyssean
... as in "by James Joyce"
stately, plump, aloft, gurgling, untonsured, chrysostomos, jowl, parapet, jesuit, indigestion, scutter, noserag and 688 more...
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Monovocalics
Words that have only one of the vowels. On this list I include only words with at least three vowels. When I first started the list, if a word had several forms, I generally listed only the one wit...
syzygy, mirific, cumulus, homolog, monocot, bedewed, jezebel, referee, bikini, minikin, locomotor, terebenthene and 2359 more...
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Field Mass
for the same
fanon, armet, wether, filibuster, shadoof, shabrack, mai, sainfoin, sand-crack, panoply, guerdon, flunky and 233 more...
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Foyle's Philavery
A selection from Christopher Foyle's book, Foyle's Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words, which I was delighted to learn about here.
abligurition, arcifinious, batterfang, bottomry, broggle, brool, cacoepy, cark, dangleation, dasyphyllous, dentiloquy, deglute and 93 more...
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At Your Service
Servants who are traditionally male. Inspired by hernesheir's maids list (as well as Downton Abbey)
footman, chasseur, hurkaru, chobdar, lackey, jeames, manservant, pantryman, groom, palefrenier, coistrel, ostler and 106 more...
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Old Words, Inkhorn Terms
lickerish, truckle, dogsbody, gambrinous, collywobbles, megrim, jentacular, fatigate, furibund, oblatrant, turgidous, ustulation and 24 more...
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Ulysses
omphalos, inwit, junket, ashplant, ferrule, beldam, leman, gamp, omophorion, dun, coign of vantage, moiety and 13 more...
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O
monovocalic with 'o' but ONLY if I like them :-)
potoroo, woolloomoolloo, polo, booboo, morocco, pomology, mofongo, bloodroot, foolproof, bonobo, oboe, colocolo and 20 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for gossoon.
reesetee A lad; a young male servant. According to Foyle, the word is derived from French garçon. Jul 31, 2008
brtom Spurned lover. I was a strapping young gossoon at that time, I tell you, I'll show you my likeness one day.
Joyce, Ulysses, 3
Dec 29, 2006