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Added 9 October 2026

goose

/ɡuːs/ noun

In Latin: ānser, avica Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about goose at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks.
A man who is a stupid incompetent fool.
Flesh of a goose (domestic or wild).

verb

Pinch in the buttocks.
he goosed the unsuspecting girl
Prod into action.
Give a spurt of fuel to.
goose the car

Origin

PIE word *ǵʰh₂éns Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂éns Proto-Germanic *gans Old English gōs Middle English gos English goose From Middle English goos, gos, from Old English gōs, from Proto-West Germanic *gans, from Proto-Germanic *gans, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂éns. Cognates Compare West Frisian goes, North Frisian göis (also Fering-Öömrang dialect North Frisian gus; Sölring dialect North Frisian Guus; Heligoland dialect North Frisian gus), Low German Goos, Gans, Dutch gans, German Gans, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian gås, Icelandic gæs, Irish gé, Latin ānser, Latvian zùoss, Russian гусь (gusʹ), Albanian gatë, Ancient Greek χήν (khḗn), Avestan 𐬰𐬁 (zā), Sanskrit हंस (haṃsá).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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