gorm
English
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gorm¹
- /ɡɔːm/ UK
- /ɡoɹm/ US
Sounds like gaum (non-rhotic)
Where it comes from
A variant of gaum, from Middle English gome, from Old Norse gaumr, from Proto-Germanic *gaumō; compare Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌿𐌼𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gaumjan, “observe”), and see gaum for more. The -r- was not originally pronounced but was a device used by non-rhotic dialects of English to indicate vowel length or quality (compare Burma, Myanmar, and juggernaut).
verb gorms · gorming · gormed · gawm
- To gawk; to stare or gape. Passing through St. George's Square, Lupus Street, Chichester Street, he scarcely saw a soul; then, quite suddenly, he struck a dense crowd, kept back by the police, standing gorming at a great jagged hole in a high blank wall, a glimpse, the merest glimpse of more broken walls, shattered chimneys.
gorm²
- /ɡɔːm/ UK
- /ɡoɹm/ US
Sounds like gaum (non-rhotic)
Where it comes from
A variant of gaum (itself likely a variant of gum), with the ‘r’ being a vowel-lengthening device common in non-rhotic dialects of English.
verb gorms · gorming · gormed
- Alternative form of gaum (“to smear”). 'It is quite ruined.' 'How did she do it? What a pity!' 'With paint—assisting in the painting of a garden-gate. She told me the pleasure of "gorming" it on was too irresistible to be resisted; and the poor little new gown in done for.'
gorm³
- /ɡɔːm/ UK
- /ɡoɹm/ US
Sounds like gaum (non-rhotic)
Where it comes from
From gormandize/gormandise.
verb gorms · gorming · gormed
- To devour; to wolf down (food). The bear came up to the berries and stopped. Not accustomed to eat out of a pail, he tipped it over, and nosed about the fruit "gorming" it down, mixed with leaves and dirt, […]
gorm⁴
- /ɡɔːm/ UK
- /ɡoɹm/ US
Sounds like gaum (non-rhotic)
Where it comes from
Supposed by some to be related to gormless and/or gorming, and by others to be related to gorm (“smear”) (itself probably related to gum (“make sticky; impair the functioning of”)).
verb gorms · gorming · gormed · gaum
- To make a mess of. I find the cheap shilling self-filling pen advertised in these pages excellent value—quite equal to that of fountain-pens I have paid ten times as much for. It is also durable. I am a careless person, and prefer to discard it when I have “gormed” it […]
Talk about this word "gorm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gorm. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gorm. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gorm "gorm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gorm.Cite this
@misc{gorm_2026,
title = {gorm},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gorm},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
