Gaffe

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɡæf/

Definitions

1. A socially embarrassing or tactless mistake made in public, especially one involving an offensive remark or improper behavior
2. A blunder that results in social awkwardness or embarrassment, typically through a verbal error or an inappropriate action in a formal setting
3. An instance of making an indiscreet or mistaken comment that leads to discomfort or awkwardness, especially in a public or professional context

Etymology: The French "gaffe" originally meant a clasp or hook, and its sense of a blunder came later, in the way a clumsy grab goes wrong. The word traces back to Old Occitan "gaf," meaning "clasp," which itself descends from a Gothic noun "gafah," built from an intensifying prefix and "fahan," meaning "to catch." So the ancestor of today's slip-up was a word for seizing something firmly. The link to the hook sense survives in English through its doublet, "gaff," the pole with a hooked end used to land big fish or to lift heavy objects. Both words came from the same stock of meaning, one entering English as a fishing and sailing term and the other borrowed from French to describe a social misstep. The two forms look related because they are, though they took very different routes into the language.

Synonyms: blunder, mistake, error

Antonyms: success, perfection