Online Etymology Dictionary

goshawk (n.): Old English goshafoc, literally "goose-hawk," from gos "goose" (see goose (n.)) + hafoc "hawk" (see hawk (n.)). Cf. Old Norse gashaukr.
Goshen: from the Bible, fertile land settled by the Israelites in Egypt; light shone there during the plague of darkness [Gen. xxxxv:10]. The name is of unknown origin.
gosling (n.): mid-14c. (late 13c. as a surname), from Old Norse gæslingr, from gos "goose" (see goose (n.)) + diminutive suffix. replaced Old English gesling. The modern word may be a Middle English formation from Middle English gos "goose."
gospel (n.): Old English godspel "gospel, glad tidings announced by Jesus; one of the four gospels," from god "good" (see good) + spel "story, message" (see spell (n.)); translation of Latin bona adnuntiatio, itself a translation of Greek euangelion "reward for bringing good news."

The first element of the Old English word had a long "o," but it shifted under mistaken association with God. The word passed early from English to continental Germanic languages in forms that clearly indicate the first element had shifted to "God," e.g. Old Saxon godspell, Old High German gotspell, Old Norse goðspiall. Used of anything as true as the Gospel from mid-13c. Gospel-gossip was Addison's word ("Spectator," 1711) for "one who is always talking of sermons, texts, etc."
gospelize (v.): "to preach the gospel," 1640s, from gospel + -ize. Old English had godspellian in the same sense.
gospeller (n.): "evangelist," Old English godspellere; agent noun from gospel.
gossamer (n.): c.1300, "spider threads spun in fields of stubble in late fall," apparently from gos "goose" + sumer "summer" (cf. Swedish sommertrad "summer thread"). The reference might be to a fancied resemblance of the silk to goose down, or because geese are in season then. The German equivalent mädchensommer (literally "girls' summer") also has a sense of "Indian summer," and the English word originally may have referred to a warm spell in autumn before being transferred to a phenomenon especially noticable then. Cf. obsolete Scottish go-summer "period of summer-like weather in late autumn." Meaning "anything light or flimsy" is from c.1400. The adjective sense "filmy" is attested from 1802.
gossip (n.): Old English godsibb "sponsor, godparent," from God + sibb "relative" (see sibling). Extended in Middle English to "any familiar acquaintance" (mid-14c.), especially to woman friends invited to attend a birth, later to "anyone engaging in familiar or idle talk" (1560s). Sense extended 1811 to "trifling talk, groundless rumor." Similar formations in Old Norse guðsifja, Old Saxon guþziff.
gossip (v.): "to talk idly about the affairs of others," 1620s, from gossip (n.). Related: Gossiped; gossiping.
gossipy (adj.): 1818, from gossip (n.) + -y (2).
got: past tense of get.
gotcha: by 1913, colloquial pronunciation of "(I have) got you."
Goth (n.): Old English Gota (plural Gotan) "a Goth" (see Gothic). In 19c., in reference to living persons, it meant "a Gothicist" (1812), "an admirer of the Gothic style, especially in architecture." Modern use as an adjective in reference to a subculture style is from 1986, short for Gothic.
By 1982, when the legendary Batcave club opened in London, the music press had begun to use the term gothic rock to describe the music and fandom around which a new postpunk subculture was forming. [Lauren M.E. Goodlad & Michael Bibby, "Goth: Undead Subculture," 2007]
Gotham: "New York City," first used by Washington Irving, 1807, based on "Merrie Tales of the Mad Men of Gotham" (1460), a collection of legendary stories of English villagers alternately wise and foolish. There is a village of this name in Nottinghamshire, originally Gatham (1086), in Old English, "Enclosure (literally 'homestead') where goats are kept." It is unknown if this was the place intended.
Gothic (adj.): "of the Goths," Germanic people who lived in Eastern Europe c.100 C.E., "pertaining to the Goths or their language," 1610s, from Late Latin Gothicus, from Gothi, Greek Gothoi, all from Gothic gutþiuda "Gothic people," the first element cognate with Old Norse gotar "men." "The sense 'men' is usually taken to be the secondary one, but as the etymology of the word is unknown, this is uncertain" [Gordon]. The unhistorical -th- in English is from Late Latin.

Used in sense of "savage despoiler" (1660s) in reference to their fifth-century sacking of Roman cities (cf. vandal, and French gothique, still with a sense of "barbarous, rude, cruel"). Gothic also was used by scholars to mean "Germanic, Teutonic" (1640s), hence its evolution as a 17c. term for the art style that emerged in northern Europe in the Middle Ages, and the early 19c. literary style that used northern European medieval settings to suggest horror and mystery. The word was revived 1983 as the name for a style of music and the associated youth culture; abbreviated form goth is attested from 1986. Gothic revival in reference to architecture and decorating first recorded 1869 in writing of C.L. Eastlake.
gotta: attempt to represent the casual pronunciation of got to, attested from 1885.
gotten: past participle of get, showing vestiges of the Old English form of the verb.
Gotterdammerung: from German Götterdämmerung, literally "twilight of the gods," used by Wagner as the title of the last opera in the Ring cycle; used in English from 1909 in the figurative sense of "complete overthrow" of something.
gouache: 1882, from French gouache, from Italian guazzo "water color," originally "spray, pool," from Latin aquatio "watering, watering place," from aquatus, past participle of aquari "to bring water for drinking," from aqua (see aqua-).
Gouda: type of cheese, 1885, named for a town in Holland.
Goudy: typeface family, 1917, from name of U.S. typographer Frederic W. Goudy (1865-1947).
gouge (n.): mid-14c., "chisel with a concave blade," from Old French gouge, from Late Latin gubia, alteration of gulbia "hollow beveled chisel," probably from Gaulish (cf. Old Irish gulban "prick, prickle," Welsh gylfin "beak").
gouge (v.): 1560s, "to cut with a gouge," from gouge (n.). Meaning "to force out with a gouge" (especially of the eyes, in fighting) attested by 1800. Meaning "swindle" is American English colloquial from 1826 (implied in plural noun gougers). Related: Gouged; gouging.
goulash (n.): 1866, from Hungarian gulyáshús, from gulyás "herdsman" + hús "meat." In Hungarian, "beef or lamb soup made by herdsmen while pasturing."
gourami (n.): type of freshwater fish, 1878, from Malay gurami.
gourd (n.): c.1300, from Anglo-French gourde, from Old French coorde, ultimately from Latin cucurbita "gourd," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to cucumis "cucumber."
gourmand (n.): late 15c., "glutton," from Middle French gourmant "glutton," originally an adj., "gluttonous," of uncertain origin. Not connected with gourmet. Meaning "one fond of good eating" is from 1758.
The gourmand is one whose chief pleasure is eating; but a gourmet is a connoisseur of food and wines. In England the difference is this: a gourmand regards quantity more than quality, a gourmet quality more than quantity. [Brewer, "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable," Philadelphia, 1898]
gourmet (n.): "connoisseur in eating and drinking," 1820, from French gourmet, altered (by influence of Middle French gourmant "glutton") from Old French groume, originally "wine-taster, wine merchant's servant" (in 13c. "a lad generally"), of uncertain origin. As an adjective from 1900. Cf. gourmand.
gout (n.): c.1200, from Old French gote (10c., Modern French goutte) "gout; drop," from Latin gutta "a drop," in Medieval Latin "gout," of unknown origin. The disease was thought to be caused by drops of viscous humors seeping from the blood into the joints, which turned out to be close to the modern scientific view.
gouty (adj.): late 14c., from gout + -y (2).
govern (v.): late 13c., from Old French governer (11c., Modern French gouverner) "govern," from Latin gubernare "to direct, rule, guide, govern" (cf. Spanish gobernar, Italian governare), originally "to steer," a nautical borrowing from Greek kybernan "to steer or pilot a ship, direct" (the root of cybernetics). The -k- to -g- sound shift is perhaps via the medium of Etruscan. Related: Governed; governing.
governable (adj.): 1640s, from govern + -able.
governance (n.): late 14c., "act or manner of governing," from Old French gouvernance "government, rule, administration; (rule of) conduct," from governer (see govern). Fowler writes that the word "has now the dignity of incipient archaism," but it might continue useful in its original sense as government comes primarily to mean "the governing power in a state."
governess (n.): mid-15c., "female ruler," shortening of governouresse "a woman who rules" (late 14c.), from Old French governeresse "female ruler or administrator" (see governor + -ess); in the sense of "a female teacher in a private home" it is attested from 1712.
government (n.): late 14c., "act of governing or ruling;" 1550s, "system by which a thing is governed" (especially a state), from Old French governement (Modern French gouvernement), from governer (see govern). Replaced Middle English governance. Meaning "governing power" in a given place is from 1702.
governmental (adj.): 1774, from government + -al (1). Related: Governmentally. A Middle English word in the same sense was gubernatif (late 14c.).
governmentalism (n.): "disposition to enlarge the power and scope of the government," 1841, from governmental + -ism; originally in reference to France and perhaps from French.
Besides this, it is a well known fact, one made sufficiently clear by the history of the United States, that the less governmentalism there is in a country, the better it is for the citizens as to their material interests. A very complicated governmental apparatus, when, especially, it is useless, is and can be only hurtful to the interests of the mass of the people. [Amedee H. Simonin, "Resumption of Specie Payments," 1868]
Related: Governmentalist.
governor (n.): c.1300, gouernour, "personal keeper, protector, guide," from Old French governeor (11c., Modern French gouverneur) and directly from Latin gubernatorem (nominative gubernator) "director, ruler, governor," originally "steersman, pilot" (see govern). Meaning "subordinate ruler; head of a province, etc." is from late 14c. The adjective gubernatorial remembers the Latin form.
gow (n.): 1915, "opium," from Cantonese yao-kao "opium," literally "drug-sap;" used as such by Raymond Chandler, etc.; by 1950s meaning had expanded to "pictures of nude or scantily clad women," hence gow job "flashy girl," which in teenager slang came to also mean "hot rod."
gowk (n.): "cuckoo," early 14c., from Old Norse gaukr, from Proto-Germanic *gaukoz (cf. Old English geac, Old High German gouh). Meaning "fool" attested from c.1600.
gown (n.): c.1300, from Old French goune "robe, coat, habit, gown," from Late Latin gunna "leather garment, skin, hide," of unknown origin. Used by St. Boniface (8c.) for a fur garment permitted for old or infirm monks. Klein writes it is probably "a word adopted from a language of the Apennine or the Balkan Peninsula." OED points to Byzantine Greek gouna, a word for a coarse garment sometimes made of skins, but also notes "some scholars regard [Late Latin gunna] as of Celtic origin."

In 18c., gown was the common word for what is now usually styled a dress. It was maintained more in the U.S. than in Britain, but was somewhat revived 20c. in fashion senses and in comb. forms (e.g. bridal gown, nightgown). Meaning "flowing robe worn as a badge of office or authority" is from late 14c., on image of the Roman toga. As collective singular for "residents of a university" (1650s) it usually now is opposed to town.
goy (n.): "gentile, non-Jew" (plural goyim), 1835, from Hebrew goy "people, nation;" in Mishnaic and Modern Hebrew, also "gentile."
goyim: plural of goy (q.v.).
grab (v.): 1580s, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German grabben "to grab," from Proto-Germanic *grab (cf. Old English græppian "to seize," Old Saxon garva, Old High German garba "sheaf," literally "that which is gathered up together"), from PIE *ghrebh- "to seize, reach" (cf. Sanskrit grbhnati "seizes," Old Persian grab- "seize" as possession or prisoner, Old Church Slavonic grabiti "to seize, rob," Lithuanian grebiu "to rake"). Sense of "to get by unscrupulous methods" reinforced by grab game, a kind of swindle, attested from 1846. Related: Grabbed; grabbing.
grab (n.): 1777, "thing grabbed;" 1824, "act of grabbing," from grab (v.). Up for grabs attested from 1945 in jive talk.
grab-bag (n.): "miscellaneous mixture," 1854, originally a carnival game; from grab + bag (n.).
grabby (adj.): 1910, from grab (v.) + -y (2). Related: Grabbiness.
Grace: fem. proper name, literally "favor, grace;" see grace.
grace (n.): late 12c., "God's favor or help," from Old French grace "pardon, divine grace, mercy; favor, thanks; elegance, virtue" (12c.), from Latin gratia "favor, esteem, regard; pleasing quality, good will, gratitude" (source of Italian grazia, Spanish gracia), from gratus "pleasing, agreeable," from PIE root *gwere- "to favor" (cf. Sanskrit grnati "sings, praises, announces," Lithuanian giriu "to praise, celebrate," Avestan gar- "to praise").

Sense of "virtue" is early 14c., that of "beauty of form or movement, pleasing quality" is mid-14c. In classical sense, "one of the three sister goddesses (Latin Gratiæ, Greek Kharites), bestowers of beauty and charm," it is first recorded in English 1579 in Spenser. The short prayer that is said before or after a meal (early 13c.; until 16c. usually graces) has a sense of "gratitude."
grace (v.): c.1200, "to thank," from Old French gracier, from grace (see grace (n.)). Meaning "to show favor" (mid-15c.) led to that of "to lend or add grace to something" (1580s, e.g. grace us with your presence), which is the root of the musical sense in grace notes (1650s). Related: Graced; gracing.