name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
GOMER
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
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CMU ARPABET: G OW1 M ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
name
Meaning 2
The eldest son of Japheth. Equivalent to the Cimmerians.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: biblical, lifestyle, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Alternative form of gomer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Alternative form of omer: a former Hebrew unit of dry volume equal to about 2.3 L or 2.1 quarts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative, archaic, historical
Topics: units-of-measure
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A conical chamber at the breech of the bore in heavy ordnance, especially in mortars.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A stupid, awkward, or oafish person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
An inept trainee or serviceperson.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, derogatory, slang
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
An opponent in combat or in training.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, slang
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A male animal (cattle, swine, horse mainly) used to arouse a female or detect, through her induced behavior, her hormonal availability for reproduction. Also called a teaser, a gomer may or may not be neutered, unless this element draws the line between those two synonyms. This particular meaning could also be the originator of the Gomer Pyle entry and not be a derivative.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: husbandry
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
An undesirable hospital patient, or a patient who does not need medical care.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory
Qualifier: medical slang
Examples
- That patient is a total GOMER. Turf him and let's get some lunch.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A dirty, senile, or otherwise unpleasant patient.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
A patient who does not respond to medical treatment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Biblical Hebrew גֹּמֶר (gōmer). Compare Ancient Greek Κιμμέριος (Kimmérios) and Neo-Assyrian 𒆳𒄀𒂇𒊏𒀀𒀀 (Gimirrāya).
See gomer, Etymology 4.
From Latin gomor in the Vulgate, from Ancient Greek γομόρ (gomór) in the Septuagint, from Hebrew עומר ('ómer, “sheaf; unit of dry measure”).
After Louis-Gabriel de Gomer, the French artillery officer who invented the design. Attested in English since the early nineteenth century.
Likely from the oafish fictional character Gomer Pyle from the 1960s American sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
Uncertain. Perhaps the same as, or influenced by Etymology 3, above. It is frequently claimed that the word is an acronym for "grand old man of the emergency room", or for "Get Out of My ER", the latter story popularized by the 1978 novel The House of God by Samuel Shem. John Algeo (1991) notes that various people claim the word is an acronym or is borrowed from Hebrew גמר (G-M-R, “finish; complete”), but suggests that these accounts are dubious. He concludes that a connection to Gomer Pyle or to the "stupid, awkward person" sense of the word is the most likely source. The Oxford English Dictionary online (2003) likewise treats the "undesirable patient" and "stupid person" senses as uses of the same word.
Across languages
Translations
4 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Hebrew: גֹּמֶר (Gomer) — biblical character
- Hindi: गोमेर (gomer) — biblical character
- Spanish: Gómer — biblical character
- Vietnamese: Go-mê — biblical character