Garsh

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. A mild exclamation of surprise or emphasis, used as a softened substitute for a stronger oath
2. An informal interjection expressing astonishment, a euphemistic alteration of a more forceful exclamation
3. A soft expletive showing amazement or feeling, used to avoid saying a stronger oath aloud

Etymology: In ancient Greek, "kharaktēr" meant an engraver, someone who cut marks into a surface. The word passed through Vulgar Latin "charaxāre", to scratch or score, into Old French as "garser" and "jarsier" (modern French "gercer", to chap or crack). Middle English took it as "garsen", and the English form "garsh" was an older spelling of the word that became "gash", the cut or wound. Two other origins have been proposed. One links it to French "gâcher" or "gâchis", meaning to waste or to make a mess, which sailors' crews likely borrowed into English in the 19th century. The other is that "ghastful" influenced its spelling and sense, through the association with "gash" as a gruesome wound.

Synonyms: gosh, gee, golly