goddam
English
Etymology 1
From French goddam (“English person”), from English goddamn.
Noun
goddam (plural goddams)
- (Gallicism, chiefly in the plural) An English person, from the perspective of a French person or in the context of French history,originating during the Hundred Years' War.
- 1991, Philip George Hill, Our Dramatic Heritage: Reactions to realism, page 90:
- That is why the goddams will take Orleans. And you cannot stop them, nor ten thousand like you.
- 1991, Philip George Hill, Our Dramatic Heritage: Reactions to realism, page 90:
Interjection
goddam
- (uncommon) Alternative spelling of goddamn
- 2021, Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun, Faber & Faber Limited, page 273:
- ‘No, Paul, not now and not in this goddam car!’
-
Anagrams
- mad dog, mad-dog, maddog
French
Alternative forms
- goddem, goddon
Etymology
From English goddamn, in reference to the English propensity for swearing. Originally used in the Hundred Years War.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɔ.dam/
Audio (file)
Noun
goddam m (plural goddams)
- (chiefly in the plural, ethnic slur) an English person
- 1932, Thierry Sandre, Le corsaire Pellot qui courut pour le roi, page 81:
- Ah! ah! dit-il en riant, il serait digne d'un goddam, si les goddams savaient tirer si droit.
- Ah! ah! he laughed, he would be worthy of an Englishman, if the Englishmen knew how to shoot so straight.
- 1932, Thierry Sandre, Le corsaire Pellot qui courut pour le roi, page 81:
Further reading
- “goddam”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.