Gauche

Gauche
Superstition played a major role in past times, and never more so than in the medieval period where religion, specifically christianity, had to fight for its place amongst the long held beliefs in paganism. In this "disturbed" period, people who were in any way "different" were often singled out for special notice. Women who had medicinal powers were sometimes derided as witches, people with deformities were called "cruckshank", and left handers forming only a small proportion of the population were singled out and given the name of "gauche", the French for "left". French being the official language of England for three hundred years after the Invasion of 1066, it is not surprising perhaps that it is also an early English recording, the first known example being John Gauch of Cambridge in the year 1260. The name is spelt in many ways include Gauch, Gauche, Gaucher, Gauchier, Gauchon, Gauchelet, etc. and is well recorded in France, and less so in England. French records though are much less extensive than in England, the majority of early registers being destroyed during the Revolution of 1789 - 1795. Such examples as we have been able to find include Nicholas Gauche of Cons-la-Granville, Meurthe et Moselle, on January 10th 1669, and Rene Gaucher, who married Gabrielle Berton, at Ambrillo-Chateau, Maine et Loire, on July 2nd 1711.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • gauche — [ goʃ ] adj. et n. • v. 1225; o. i., p. ê. de gauchir I ♦ 1 ♦ Qui est de travers, qui présente une déviation. ⇒ dévié, oblique, tordu. Table, planche gauche. Spécialt Math. Figure géométrique, courbe gauche, qui n est pas contenue dans un plan… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • gauche — GAUCHE. adj. de tout genre. Qui est opposé au droit, & se dit dans l homme du costé où la rate est située, qui est reputé le moins noble, & qui est ordinairement le plus foible. Le costé gauche. la main gauche. le pied gauche. l oeil gauche. l… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Gauche — can refer to many things: * Gauche (Scheme implementation), an implementation of the Scheme programming language. * In stereochemistry, gauche refers a specific conformer. Gauche Effect hinders bond rotation. * A style of Western fencing using… …   Wikipedia

  • gauche — Gauche, Com. signifie senestre, Laeuus, laeua, Sinister, sinistra. Main gauche, Sinistra manus. A gauche, En allant à gauche, Vers la gauche, Sinistrorsum …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • gauche´ly — gauche «gohsh», adjective. lacking grace or tact; awkward; clumsy: »His backhand is considered gauche (Newsweek). SYNONYM(S): gawky, maladroit. ╂[< Middle French gauche left; ( …   Useful english dictionary

  • gauche — gauche; gauche·ly; gauche·ness; …   English syllables

  • Gauche — (g[=o]sh), n. [F.] 1. Left handed; hence, awkward; clumsy. [1913 Webster] 2. (Geom.) Winding; twisted; warped; applied to curves and surfaces. [1913 Webster] 3. Lacking grace and perceptivity in social situations; crude; tactless; socially inept …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gauche [3] — Gauche (fr., spr. Gohsch), links; à la gauche auf der linken Seite. Daher Gaucherie (spr. Goschrie), linkisches Benehmen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • gauche — [ go:ʃ; frz. = links, linkisch, schief]; Abk.: g: veraltete Bez. für die systematisch als ↑ synklinal zu benennende Konformation. Bei Makromolekülen bedeutet gauche, dass die Kettenbindungen Winkel von 60 ° miteinander bilden, vgl. Kinken …   Universal-Lexikon

  • gauche — [gəuʃ US gouʃ] adj [Date: 1700 1800; : French; Origin: left, left handed ] doing or saying wrong or impolite things, especially because you do not know the right way to behave ▪ It would be gauche to mention the price. >gaucheness n [U] …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • gauche — awkward, tactless, 1751 (Chesterfield), from Fr. gauche left (15c., replacing O.Fr. senestre in that sense), originally awkward, awry, from M.Fr. gauchir turn aside, swerve, from O.Fr. gaucher trample, reel, walk clumsily, from Frankish *welkan… …   Etymology dictionary

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