Word of the Day: GAUCHE

Crude, coarse, or clumsy

gauche (adj) - graceless, awkward, or unrefined; embarrassing or inappropriate [gohsh]

• gaucheness is a lack of refinement or social grace

BREAKDOWN: The word gauche follows a long linguistic tradition of associating right with right and left with wrong. In French, gauche means left. Before gauche meant left, gauchir in Old French meant to swerve, turn aside, or dodge. The word seems to derive from the root WINK- meaning to bend or curve in words like wince, wink, and hoodwink.

“Love generates, or rather reveals, something which may be called absolute charm. In the beloved, nothing is gauche. Every move of the head, every tone of the voice, every laugh or grunt or cough or twitch of the nose is as valuable and revealing as a glimpse of paradise.” —Iris Murdoch

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]