gomer
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GOMER¹
Where it comes from
See gomer, Etymology 4.
noun GOMERs
- Alternative form of gomer
gomer²
Where it comes from
From Latin gomor in the Vulgate, from Ancient Greek γομόρ (gomór) in the Septuagint, from Hebrew עומר ('ómer, “sheaf; unit of dry measure”).
noun gomers
- Alternative form of omer: a former Hebrew unit of dry volume equal to about 2.3 L or 2.1 quarts. On the morrow, the 16th, after having offered to God the homer, they began eating the corn of the country; and the 17th the manna ceased to fall from heaven. What supports this calculation is, that the gomer, or sheaf, was offered the 16th of Nisan, in broad day-light, though pretty late.
gomer³
Where it comes from
After Louis-Gabriel de Gomer, the French artillery officer who invented the design. Attested in English since the early nineteenth century.
noun gomers
- A conical chamber at the breech of the bore in heavy ordnance, especially in mortars. [Table] of dimensions of howitzers, stone and Gomer mortars, vol. 1. p. 250.
gomer⁴
Where it comes from
Likely from the oafish fictional character Gomer Pyle from the 1960s American sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
noun gomers
-
A stupid, awkward, or oafish person.
“Lordy Jeezus,” he said out loud. When did he become such a gomer?
Similar: idiot
- An inept trainee or serviceperson. These recruits were given such sobriquets as moron, idiot, or Gomer (after the television marine Gomer Pyle). There were constant comparisons between wayward recruits and animals or vegetables.
- An opponent in combat or in training. We were almost invisible in our tiger stripes and ghillie suits. However, as the unit marched by, a lone gomer broke rank and ventured into the high, wet saw grass that concealed our position.
- A male animal (cattle, swine, horse mainly) used to arouse a female or detect, through her induced behavior, her hormonal availability for reproduction. Also called a teaser, a gomer may or may not be neutered, unless this element draws the line between those two synonyms. This particular meaning could also be the originator of the Gomer Pyle entry and not be a derivative.
gomer⁵
Where it comes from
Uncertain. Perhaps the same as, or influenced by Etymology 3, above. It is frequently claimed that the word is an acronym for "grand old man of the emergency room", or for "Get Out of My ER", the latter story popularized by the 1978 novel The House of God by Samuel Shem. John Algeo (1991) notes that various people claim the word is an acronym or is borrowed from Hebrew גמר (G-M-R, “finish; complete”), but suggests that these accounts are dubious. He concludes that a connection to Gomer Pyle or to the "stupid, awkward person" sense of the word is the most likely source. The Oxford English Dictionary online (2003) likewise treats the "undesirable patient" and "stupid person" senses as uses of the same word.
noun gomers · GOMER · gomere
- An undesirable hospital patient, or a patient who does not need medical care. That patient is a total GOMER. Turf him and let's get some lunch.
- A dirty, senile, or otherwise unpleasant patient. It was 3:00 a.m. and an elderly homeless person had just been admitted to the emergency room. [...] One resident seemed tired and angry and said, "I can't believe we got beeped out of bed for this gomer."
- A patient who does not respond to medical treatment. The number of problems the two groups of patients presented to physicians was comparable; however, the pattern of their hospital stays contrasted dramatically. Gomer patients remained in the hospital longer than other patients, and had more consultations for diagnosis and therapy, and posed more dia
Gomer⁶
Where it comes from
From Biblical Hebrew גֹּמֶר (gōmer). Compare Ancient Greek Κιμμέριος (Kimmérios) and Neo-Assyrian 𒆳𒄀𒂇𒊏𒀀𒀀 (Gimirrāya).
proper noun Gomers
- A surname.
- The eldest son of Japheth. Equivalent to the Cimmerians. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
noun Gomers
- Alternative form of GOMER
Translations
Talk about this word "gomer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gomer. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gomer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gomer "gomer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gomer.Cite this
@misc{gomer_2026,
title = {gomer},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gomer},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
