English
gory
Gory comes from Old English gyr ‘filthy, muddy’, from gor ‘dirt, dung’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- ‘to be warm’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰer-‘to be warm’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gurą‘half-digested stomach contents’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gorreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150gor‘dirt, dung’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150gyr‘filthy, muddy’
- Englishearliest quotation 1928gory
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰer-‘to be warm’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gurą‘half-digested stomach contents’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gorreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150gor‘dirt, dung’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150gyr‘filthy, muddy’
- Englishearliest quotation 1928gory
Earliest quotation: 1928, The Police Journal: “What do you know of this Sara Stilton affair,…”
Formed from gore + -y
Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- ‘hot’
Proto-Germanic *gurą ‘half-digested stomach contents’
Proto-West Germanic *gor
Old English gor ‘manure, dung, filth, muck, dirt’
Middle English gore ‘mud, muck’
English gore
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- ‘to be warm’
warm, thermal, furnace, thermos, forceps, garlick, 18 more
through Old English gor ‘dirt, dung’
Today it means
adj Covered with blood; very bloody.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- / gory