Standard Lemma guide

Gobi

name · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈɡoʊ.bi/
  • gō′bē
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: goby
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: G OW1 B IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A large desert in Asia, spanning the countries of Mongolia and China.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

cauliflower

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: India, uncountable

Topics: cooking, food, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a desert in central China

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Gobi Desert

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: desert

History

Etymology

From Mongolian Говь (Govʹ) or ᠭᠣᠪᠢ (Ɣobi).

Borrowed from Hindi गोभी (gobhī), from Portuguese couve (“cabbage”), from Latin caulis. Doublet of caulis, cole, and kale.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جُوبِي (gūbī) — desert
  • Chinese Cantonese: 戈壁 (gwo1 bik1) — desert
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戈壁 (Gēbì) — desert
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戈壁沙漠 (Gēbì shāmò) — desert
  • French: Gobi — desert
  • German: Gobi — desert
  • Hindi: गोबी मरुस्थल (gobī marusthal) — desert
  • Irish: Góibí — desert
  • Irish: Gaineamhlach Ghóibí — desert
  • Italian: Gobi — desert
  • Japanese: ゴビ (Gobi) — desert
  • Japanese: ゴビ砂漠 (Gobi sabaku) — desert
  • Kalmyk: Һөв (Ğöv) — desert
  • Kazakh: Қобы (Qoby) — desert
  • Korean: 고비 (Gobi) — desert
  • Korean: 고비 사막 (Gobi samak) — desert
  • Kyrgyz: Гоби (Gobi) — desert
  • Manchu: ᡤᠣᠪᡳ (gobi) — desert
  • Mongolian: Говь (Govʹ) — desert
  • Mongolian: ᠭᠣᠪᠢ (Ɣobi) — desert
  • Norwegian: Gobiørkenen — desert
  • Persian: گبی (gobi) — desert
  • Portuguese: Gobi — desert
  • Russian: Го́би (Góbi) — desert
  • Russian: пусты́ня Го́би (pustýnja Góbi) — desert
  • Spanish: Gobi — desert
  • Swedish: Gobiöknen — desert
  • Tajik: Габи (Gab-i) — desert
  • Tamil: கோபி (kōpi) — desert
  • Uzbek: Gobi — desert
  • Vietnamese: sa mạc Gô bi — desert